Moon Heart
by RyliasShadow
Summary: A devious plot by Naraku and Kikyo leaves Kagome stripped of her miko powers. Unable to halt Inuyasha's demonic rage, he rapes her and leaves her alone to be found by Koga. Can Koga restore her powers and save her from the trauma of Inuyasha's attack?
1. Just Another Day in The Life

Kagome raised her arms over her head and groaned as she stretched. The tiger demon she and the others had been fighting lay slain before them and the jewel shard glimmered where it lay in the pool of its blood.

"Keh, he wasn't so tough." Inuyasha boasted, hoisting the Tetsusaiga over his shoulder. "Well Kagome, are you gonna get the damn jewel shard or not?" He snapped.

"I was stretching my arm, ok?" Kagome retorted loudly with a huff.

"Let her rest a bit, Inuyasha." Miroku said. "It was her arrow that helped us defeat the tiger demon."

"You outta stop bein' so mean to Kagome, Inuyasha." Shippo growled at the much larger male.

"Shut up, runt!" Inuyasha snapped and slammed his fist into Shippo's small skull, causing him to wail in pain.

"Inuyasha, sit! Leave Shippo alone already!" Kagome yelled as Inuyasha smashed face first into the ground with a yell of pain.

"They'll never learn…" Sango muttered to herself with a smile, stroking Kirara's soft fur.

Kagome stomped over to the body of the tiger demon and pulled the shard from its spot in the blood puddle, the shard instantly becoming pure again at her sacred touch. She hid the purified shard with the others and slung her heavy yellow backpack over her shoulders again.

"Well we outta get going, huh?" She said to her friends. Everyone but Inuyasha, still muttering in his hole in the ground, nodded at Kagome and fallowed her out of the valley they were in and back up the hill they had come down in the fight.

The tiger demon had attacked them just before dawn, and now the sun was shining brightly on the strange little pack of creatures; an untrained miko, an orphaned fox kit, a cursed monk, a female demon slayer, a fire neko and a white haired hanyou. Complete with shards of the shattered Shikon No Tama and all of Kagome's gear from the future, the group made quite a sight on the plowed fields and rolling hills of Feudal Japan.

Kagome sighed softly to herself. Her archery had improved, yes, but she had no other true skills. Her dormant miko power was of little help if she couldn't heal her friends or purify demons without her arrows. She felt so worthless sometimes…all of her friends battled and battled hard against any foe they came across, and all she did was occasionally launch a helpful arrow at the enemy. She knew she could do more to help with the proper training, but Kaede was the only other miko she knew. Could Kaede train her miko powers? It wouldn't hurt to ask the next time they met.

Inuyasha lead his small odd pack down a worn dirt path that twisted through the lands, and heard Kagome's soft sigh. He considered asking her what the problem was, but everyone being witness to such a thing changed his mind. He was being left alone at the moment, and he preferred it that way. He liked and trusted them all, but damn it, could they get annoying! Plus when he argued with them, Kagome usually sat him. He shuddered at the pain and shame that damn command brought him.

Miroku and Sango walked after Inuyasha side by side, Miroku occasionally letting his eyes roam her slender form. Sango didn't notice, luckily, as she was playing with Kirara in her arms and laughing at the small cat that bounded around her shoulders and sometimes jumped down to chase Shippo in circles around them.

Kagome was so engrossed in her thoughts of becoming a stronger fighter that she almost didn't sense the approach of a pair of jewel shards. She was brought out of her musings by a cyclone of dust barreling towards them at high speeds. The pack had come to recognize this particular cyclone however, and no one batted an eye but Inuyasha, who began snarling at once.

"What does that mangy wolf want this time?" Inuyasha snapped, a hand grasping Tetsusaiga's hilt.

Kagome raised her eyes and the dust twister blew by her, ruffling her hair and her clothes before it settled to reveal the grinning wolf demon who had become so enamored with her. She smiled. It was always nice to see Koga, even if he fought with Inuyasha constantly and refused to believe she wasn't interested in him…well not the way she was interested in Inuyasha, anyway.

"Hey, Kagome. I was passin' by and caught your wonderful scent. How are you? Mutt-face treating you well?" He added, casting a dark look toward the growling hanyou.

"Why you dirty-" Inuyasha began at once. Kagome sighed. She really didn't like to subjugate Inuyasha, but she also didn't want him and Koga fighting every time he came around.

"Inuyasha, sit." She grumbled, sending him face first into the ground again. Koga chuckled.

"That always makes me laugh, Kagome…aren't you tired of him yet?" He asked and took her hands in his. "I'd be glad to take you back to my den, get you away from dog-breath over there."

Kagome laughed nervously. Sure Koga was a sweet guy, and not to mention nice to her, but she couldn't help that her heart still belonged to Inuyasha, even though his mannerisms _were_ starting to wear on her.

"I'm gonna have to turn you down again Koga." Kagome said, doing her best not to hurt the wolf's feelings. Inuyasha snarled as he hauled himself to his feet.

"Get your hands off of her, ya flea bitten wolf!" He yelled, brandishing a fist at him.

"She hasn't told me to let go yet, mutt-face…maybe she wants me to touch her!" Koga retorted with a laugh of what was presumably triumph. Kagome groaned and pulled her hands from Koga's

"Koga, you're gonna have to get over yourself someday." She said as Shippo landed on her shoulder.

"Tell me about it…he's more clueless than Inuyasha." Shippo grumbled, rolling his grass colored eyes.

"Who're you callin' clueless?"

"How dare you compare me to that mongrel!"

"Mongrel this, wolf!"

Kagome shot a long suffering look at her human friends who merely shrugged back at her. They found these encounters much more entertaining than she did, although they didn't let her know that.

"Inuyasha, leave Koga alone! Koga, you should probably go before he stops listening to me." Kagome said, stepping between the two snarling males. Again. It seemed this was starting to happen a lot lately. Koga had been around more and more often in the past few weeks. Kagome wondered for a moment why until he grasped her hands again.

"I'd never let that mutt defeat me, my dear Kagome. Don't you worry, one day we'll be mated, and we'll never have to put up with his loud mouth again." Koga announced.

"Over my dead body!" Inuyasha shouted and jumped at Koga, but he dodged the attack, bade Kagome and the others farewell, and disappeared again in a whirlwind of dust and grass.

Kagome sighed. She had at least prevented another fight between those two, but as was usual, she geared herself for the shouting match she and Inuyasha were sure to have in mere moments.

"Why are you always on that wolf's side, Kagome?" Inuyasha howled at her. "Why don't you just let me get rid of him already?"

"Koga may be annoying at times, but he's my friend and our ally, Inuyasha! He's helping us hunt Naraku, after all, isn't he?"

"Keh! He just wants the shards, and he just wants you to find 'em for him!" He replied loudly.

"Sit! Stop calling me nothing but a shard detector, and stop saying that's all Koga wants from me! Other people see me as Kagome, you know, not just a shard detector or Kikyo's shadow!" Kagome barked and at once turned on her heel and stormed away from where he lay. He growled something that made her stop at once.

"What did you say?" She asked in her soft and dangerous voice without looking back at him.

"I said you sound like you want Koga to want more from you! What's with you two anyway? Is that why you keep siding with him?" Inuyasha growled at her.

Kagome stood shock still in her anger, and Inuyasha knew he was in trouble. Shippo jumped from her shoulder when he felt her stop and the others backed away to avoid being caught up in the wide scope of her teenage wrath.

The young miko from the future took her revenge on the hanyou the only way she could. She shouted 'sit' until she lost her breath and had to gasp for air. She whirled on the crater she had used Inuyasha's body to create and shouted down at him.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay in that hole until you can act like a mature adult!" She screamed and at once headed for the Bone Eater's Well. Waking up to a fight with a tiger demon had put Kagome in a foul mood, and dealing with Inuyasha's temper and Koga's flirtations was something she wasn't prepared to handle all at once. In all probability, she'd never actually make it home, but would calm down by the time she made it there and end up turning back to return to her friends.

As she pushed her way through the trees, she fought back a smile at the familiarity of her life in the Feudal era. She was much more accustomed to life here than she was to life in her own time, a thought that should have frightened her, but only made her smile brighten. She had decided long ago that this was the place where she truly belonged.

She wasn't sure what would happen when they completed the jewel, however. She wondered what the well would do; send her home? Close up behind her? Remain as it was, an open gateway? Or let her make her own choice? She heaved a sigh…it was still far too early to keep using her brain so much. Perhaps she should head to the village by the well and ask Kaede about miko training.

She smiled at the thought of seeing the old miko again and decided to pay her a visit instead of the well. Inuyasha would know where to find her.


	2. Plots and Pup Rearing

Kikyo pushed a heavy door open and stepped inside the room that held the wicked Naraku. She had spent months scouring forgotten miko scrolls for a spell she had heard of. A spell created by miko to destroy miko. She wasn't sure why such a spell had been devised, but it hardly mattered if she could put it to use to destroy her reincarnation. Kikyo took a few steps forward into the room's blackness, a scroll held in her left hand. Naraku's red eyes lifted to her cold face and he let a smirk curl his thin lips.

"Kikyo…have you finally found the spell you've spent so long searching for?" He asked, his voice sending chills even through Kikyo's clay and grave soil body. She hated serving him, a filthy hanyou, but if it would get rid of Inuyasha and her reincarnation, then she would do what she must, even work beneath such a beast as Naraku. She lowered her head in acknowledgement.

"I have, Naraku. With this scroll, I can strip my reincarnation of her miko abilities. She would no longer pose a threat to you." Kikyo said. Naraku purred with dark delight.

"She could no longer use purifying arrows, or purify the jewel shards with her touch…good work, Kikyo. I may have to reward you for this, dear priestess." Kikyo again shuddered at the sound of his voice.

"I will have to bind my life to the spell for it to work, however." Kikyo added with distaste. "My life will be forfeit should the spell be broken." Naraku narrowed his eyes at her.

"What is it that can break the spell?" He asked silkily.

"The scroll reads, 'The moon's heart must beat for the cursed miko just as the miko's heart must beat for the moon'." Kikyo explained. In truth, she wasn't quite sure what this could mean. Naraku thought about her words a moment, but kept his thoughts to himself.

"We will cast this spell, Kikyo. Prepare yourself; I want the spell in effect at once."

"I will do as you ask, and I will inform you when I am ready." Kikyo said and made to leave the evil hanyou where he sat contemplating. Naraku let her leave, his mind still on the words of the scroll. He put it out of his mind after a moment, however…he had to plan his destruction of Inuyasha and his strange little miko.

After leaving the beautiful Kagome and her friends behind, Koga had no desire to return to his den right away, and amused himself by heading north. His instincts told him north seemed like a good direction to take, and he listened to his instincts faithfully. It was also instinct that told him to pursue Kagome, even if his efforts had been fruitless up to this point.

He sighed a bit at her stubbornness, though cute, it was wearing thin. He was anxious to have her at his side all the time, make her his Alpha female, give her pups. He then grinned at the thought of how those pups would have to be given to her. His blood heated up and he slipped into a fantasy so complete that he almost ran right over the edge of a large cliff. He grasped a tree as he barreled towards the edge and the force of the stop nearly tore his arm from its socket, but he had managed not to plummet to his death. He panted for breath and chuckled lightly at himself.

"That was foolish of me…Kagome really will be the death of me one day." He said aloud.

As he caught his breath, his eyes wandered down the edge of the cliff. It was rather steep and rocky, but something else about it caught his eye. There was a small patch of what looked to be black fur atop a rock a few yards down from him. The wind rolled up the side of the cliff, bringing with it the scent of a wolf pup from the northern tribes.

_That explains the black fur…he's still alive, but what's he doing so far from home, and alone at that? _Koga thought and at once carefully began to make his way down the cliff side towards the black furred pup.

"Hey, pup, what are you doing out here?" Koga called out as he approached.

The pup, who had been asleep, jumped to his feet on the rock, staring down the larger wolf in fear.

"Stay away from me!" He cried out and scrambled back, forgetting he was on a rock. With a cry, he tumbled backwards off the top of the rock.

Koga used the shards in his legs to bolt forward and catch the falling pup. He looked down at the pup and realized he must have been alone for some time. He was thin and unwashed, his hands and feet torn from the harsh environment he had been traveling through.

"Calm down, pup, I'm not gonna hurt you. My name's Koga, what's yours?" Koga asked the pup softly. The pup stared up at him with eyes of gold, his mane of black hair falling in tangled waves around his small face.

"I-I am Shigoru." The pup mumbled up at him.

"Shigoru, what are you doing out here all alone? Where's your pack? Don't you belong in the northern wolves?" Koga asked, setting the pup down on the rock now that he felt him calm down.

Shigoru's eyes welled with tears at once, but he fought them back, making Koga strangely proud of his strength.

"My pack got into a fight with the bear tribe that lived nearby…my parents never came back, and the pack didn't want to take care of a pup…they told me to run or they would send me to my grave with my mother and father." Shigoru explained quietly.

Koga bristled with anger. True, demons normally didn't take it orphans, but wolf demons weren't normal demons. They had loyalty to one another, even and especially helpless pups. Or at least he thought they did. He could imagine the look of horror on Kagome's face at the thought of a pup abandoned and left to fend for himself. He decided to protect the pup, adopt him like his own…he could tell Shigoru would be strong in the future, a powerful wolf warrior.

"Alright, Shigoru, how would you like to come home with me? My wolves won't throw you out, we'll protect you and train you, we'll give you a home and a pack again. Would you like that?" Koga said to the pup, his heart warming at the look of happiness on the pup's face, but it soon fell, and Koga's eyebrows furrowed.

"What's the problem, pup?" Koga asked. Shigoru turned his eyes so like Inuyasha's to Koga's shy colored eyes.

"Are you Alpha? Or will you have to ask permission for this?" Shigoru said. Koga growled.

"Don't tell me your pack didn't teach you who's Alpha of other packs?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the pup, who hung his head.

"I…I never paid attention in lessons…" He mumbled, causing Koga to laugh uproariously.

"Don't worry, Shigoru, I never did either. Follow me and I'll take you to the den of the Eastern Tribe. I'm their Alpha, so you're staying with us no matter what."

"Thank you Alpha Koga, thank you!" Shigoru cried and hugged the older wolf around the neck. Koga scooped him up with a smile and raced them both to the top of the cliff, then off to the east. He needed to get the pup fed and bathed, not to mention have clothes of brown fur made for him.

Kagome had fought her way through the trees and made it to the village near the Bone Eater's well by the time noon rolled around. She was hungry, and already missed Inuyasha and the others, but she had a feeling they were coming to find her. As if on cue, she heard a scream of a large cat, and Kirara zipped by overhead, dropping to her fiery feet in front of her.

"Kagome, you really shouldn't run off like that, you could get into trouble." Miroku scolded as he slipped off of the fire neko's back.

"What if a demon attacked you while you were alone?" Sango said, also jumping to the ground. Kirara transformed and Shippo leapt away when the flames engulfed the cat.

"Sorry guys, but Inuyasha makes me so mad sometimes." Kagome explained just as said hanyou appeared behind her.

"Well you're no ray of sunshine either, wench." Inuyasha growled. Kagome whirled on him.

"Don't make me say it again, Inuyasha." She growled in return. Inuyasha cringed.

"That's ok." He retorted.

Kagome almost rolled her eyes at him. She knew he wouldn't apologize for picking a fight with her about Koga, so she didn't push the issue. Instead she revealed her desire to speak with Kaede and the little pack agreed to head to the village for a much needed break. Even Inuyasha agreed without much of a fight. Kagome though that made his back was still in pain for her latest string of sit commands, he was didn't want to repeat the incident. She smiled a bit to herself. He tried so hard to maintain his gruff exterior, but it was times like this, when Kagome could see through it, that she felt her affection for the hanyou grow.

Thanks for the reviews I've already gotten! ^.^ Short chapter again, I have a feeling they all will be, lol. We, however, will see…enjoy!


	3. Shigoru Meets Kagome

By the time the sun had fallen that night, Kagome had begun miko training, however the work was slow-going. First she had to master meditation, and she and Kaede had spent the day practicing. Kagome had yet to grasp it completely as she saw little point to the practice, though the elder miko had explained it. It was a necessary way to improve her focus, something all miko needed in their art. Kagome tried her best to understand, but her frustration with herself made it difficult.

She decided that a twilight walk would help clear her mind, and she stepped from Kaede's hut and strolled casually towards the well that lead to her time. She let her mind drift here and there as she walked, never once realizing that she was once again alone in a time crawling with vicious bloodthirsty demons. She broke through the tree line and stepped into the clearing that held the well and sat in its worn edge, gazing up at the stars, so clear and so numerous here in the Feudal era.

As Kagome sat there, watching the heavens above, she had no idea that someone else was in fact watching her, admiring her, loving her.

Once Koga had taken in the pup Shigoru, he had raced him all the way to the Eastern caves, a task that had taken about an hour or two. Once they had arrived, Koga announced his decision and sent Ginta to go get Moyakari and Hakkaku to find Shigoru something to eat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Koga? Adopting a stray pup from the North?" A harsh male voice called out from the crowd of wolves. Koga narrowed his eyes at the offender who had decided to speak out.

"What I do as Alpha is my business, Hagetsu." Koga growled at the other wolf.

"We all know you won't be Alpha much longer, Koga, and when I'm in charge, that little brat's back on his ass! I'm not protecting every helpless beast I come across!" Hagetsu snarled, standing toe to toe with Koga.

Hagetsu was the same height as Koga with a thinner build, black hair was cut short and his eyes were a vibrant green. He was also a constant challenger to Koga, although had never outright fought him for the position of pack leader. Koga was always wary of Hagetsu, but not truly threatened by the rival wolf. He knew if it came down to a true fight between the two, Koga would come out on top…he was just worried about the sly Hagetsu cheating.

Once Hagetsu had spoken up, Shigoru had cowered slightly into Koga's arms, seeking the protection of the elder wolf. Koga tightened his grip on the pup and stroked his matted hair lightly.

"If you wanna be Alpha so bad, Hagetsu, do it right and challenge me." Koga snapped. "All this underhanded indirect crap is really starting to piss me off."

"Heh, you ain't worth my time." Hagetsu scoffed and strolled away, leaving Koga to growl unhappily at his back.

"Alpha Koga, you're not…gonna lose to him…are you?" Shigoru asked warilly. Koga set the pup down on his feet with a chuckle and crouched before him to look into his eyes.

"I'd never lose to a punk like Hagetsu. Besides, you saw him walk away from me; he won't ever really challenge my leadership. Don't worry, little one." He ruffled the pup's matted mane again.

Shigoru grinned brightly up at Koga. It was mere hours since they met, but even the young wolf knew that this male was to be more to him that just an Alpha. His very basic instincts told him so. It was that moment that a female voice called out for Koga. Koga stood and turned to face the pretty she-wolf that had approached them.

"Moyakari, I'm glad you came out." Koga said with a grin. "I want you to meet Shigoru, he's the pup I found abandoned north of here."

"Oh, you poor dear! I'm so glad Koga found you and brought you home." Moyakari said and knelt to inspect the pup. She frowned at once at his condition. "Oh my, you're filthy, we'll have to get you a bath." She said. Moyakari had honey brown hair that fell in curls around her soft face and eyes as blue as Koga's. Shigoru eyed her a moment.

"Are you my Alpha Female?" Shigoru asked shamelessly, causing both her and Koga to laugh brightly.

"No no, little one, she's my cousin. However, she is the highest ranking female in the pack right now. That is until I mate Kagome." He said. Moyakari chuckled and rolled her eyes. From all she had heard of the girl, she wasn't interested in Koga enough to mate him.

About that time, Hakkaku returned with a large slab of deer meat for the pup, who ate at once without abandon. The elder wolves watched him gorge himself and they realized he must not have eaten in a week or more. Once he had finished his meal, Koga took him to a nearby hot spring to bathe him and splash around with him in the water while Moyakari was set the task of crafting brown fur clothing for him. She brought the set of clothes to the spring and left them by Koga's furs, breast plate and katana.

The two males got out of the water and dressed, Shigoru overly excited to don the color of his new pack. Koga told him, however, that it was always good to remember one's origins in some form or another. So when the pup asked to have his hair tied back like Koga's, Koga used a strip of black fur to do it, as well as binding the pup's left wrist in black fur. Once Shigoru was dressed, they started to return to the caves, the pup bouncing with joy.

"Now I look just like you, Alpha Koga!" He gushed. Koga grinned down at him and felt a love for him that extended past the love he felt for his other wolves. This pup wasn't just a pup in the pack…Shigoru was _his_ pup. He knew this just as he knew Kagome would be his mate. The thought of being a father to the little one warmed his heart in a way that usually only Kagome could manage. Koga thought a moment of her holding Shigoru and smiling at him and his blood heated up once again at the mental image.

As the sun began to set, Koga brought Shigoru to his cave and let the pup acclimatize to it. Shigoru jumped onto the bed of furs and straw Koga had made up in the back of the cave and rolled in the lingering scent of his new Alpha. Koga laughed at him a moment and sat down near his sleeping spot.

"So do you think you could live here alright, Shigoru?" Koga asked. Shigoru sat up and nodded at him.

"Of course I can, Alpha Koga." He said.

"I'm glad." Koga smiled at the pup who beamed back for a moment. Then his small eyes clouded in thought.

"Say, Alpha Koga…who's Kagome?" He asked. Koga laughed before setting his chin in his hand with a sigh.

"Kagome…she's this…female I'm going to make my mate just as soon as she gets over this other male she's with." Koga explained. Shigoru watched him.

"Why not go claim her, Alpha Koga? Surely she wants to be your Alpha Female." Shigoru asked. Koga shook his head.

"I doubt she's interested in that. I also don't wanna force her. I love her, and I want her to love me back first." Koga said, rubbing the back of his head and looking away. Explaining such a thing to the pup was awkward for him.

Shigoru studied Koga's face for a few moments, wondering why such a male as Koga couldn't get the female he wanted to love him. Didn't she realize how lucky she would be to have Koga's love? He was kind and caring, not to mention powerful and brave, an Alpha of a strong wolf pack…he would make the woman an excellent protector and provider.

_If he does make her his mate…that means she'll be my mother. _Shigoru thought. He smirked as another thought crossed his mind. Maybe he could help his Alpha with his situation.

"I wanna meet her." Shigoru said. Koga glanced at him.

"You wanna meet Kagome? Well, I'm not too sure where she is…but I know a good place to start looking for her. Sure, I'll take you to meet her, just don't embarrass me, pup." Koga began thoughtfully and ended playfully. Shigoru laughed and jumped up into Koga's arms.

"I won't, Alpha Koga, I promise!"

With that, the two wolves tore from the cave in a whirlwind of dust and began to make their way towards the human village near the well she was so concerned with. As Koga approached the village, he began to pick up her scent. He followed it past the village and into the trees, but slowed into a strolling gait, lowering Shigoru to the ground to walk beside him.

"Is she here in the woods, Alpha Koga?" Shigoru asked, looking up at him.

"She's nearby, pup, but keep quiet." He said. He approached the edge of the trees and saw her on the edge of the well, gazing up at the sky. Shigoru stopped at his side and looked out at her.

"That…that's a human." Shigoru said, sounding confused. He had expected a wolf demoness.

"She is a human, she's even a miko," Koga began, ignoring the pup's small gasp. "But it doesn't matter. She's not like other miko…or other humans, for that matter. She's one of a kind, strong, loyal, brave…everything I've ever wanted."

Shigoru could tell by the far away look in Koga's eyes and the tone in his voce that he was smitten with the human girl, and it was a love that could never die. He looked out again at the girl, and realized that her scent was actually rather sweet and calming, unlike any other human scent he had ever caught. He wanted to get a better smell, and he wanted to get his Alpha closer to her, so the devious child formed a short simple plan.

"Catch me, Alpha Koga!" Shigoru cried overly loudly, and charged laughing out into the clearing towards the girl, trying to appear as if he had not noticed her. She gasped and jumped to her feet, and by the time she was up, Shigoru was almost at the well, so he pretended to be startled and skidded to a clumsy stop, falling onto his backside.

"Oh…you scared me…" Kagome said, looking down at the fallen pup. He looked back up at her as Koga broke the tree line at last, as if chasing after the wayward youth.

"Get back here!"

"Koga! Who, um, is this?" She asked, pointing down at the pup who jumped to his feet and stood at Koga's side.

"Oh, hey Kagome…uh, this is Shigoru. I found him all alone in the lands to the North, and I couldn't just leave him all by himself…" Koga said awkwardly, rubbing his neck again.

"Oh! That's so sweet of you, Koga." Kagome said, genuine approval and pleasure shown on her face. Koga grinned at her.

"Ah, I have a heart of gold…it's one of my weaknesses." He replied.

"No, it's not." Kagome said, only to realize that Shigoru had said the words with her. Koga and Kagome shared a light chuckle at this. Shigoru watched them interact with a barely concealed smug smirk on his face. This human appeared more interested in Koga than he had let on.

"Aren't you an adorable boy." Kagome said to Shigoru, crouching to look at him. He smiled at her, and she gasped a bit when she looked into his eyes.

"Wow, you have eyes exactly like Inuyasha!" Kagome said. Shigoru narrowed his eyes. For some reason, her mention of another male rubbed his fur the wrong way.

"Who?" He asked. Above them both, Koga rolled his eyes. Couldn't she go five minutes without mentioning Dog-face? He had been having such a nice time talking with her, too!

"Oh, Inuyasha is a good friend of mine, that's all." Kagome said, waving a hand dismissively. "So, Koga, does he give you lot's of trouble?" Kagome asked, standing to face him again.

"I'm not sure, I found him just hours ago." He replied. Kagome nodded in understanding. "But it's late, and he needs to be getting to bed here soon. Come along, pup, time to return to the den."

Shigoru whined and pleaded to stay out later, something that made Kagome giggle. Koga bit back a smirk and looked sternly down at the pup, telling him who was the boss, and soon the boy conceded and walked off with his head hung. Koga flashed a dazzling smile at Kagome and followed Shigoru into the trees, leaving Kagome to sit on the well's edge again.

_Wow…I've never seen that side of Koga before…he'd make an excellent father… _Kagome shook her head as she realized what she had been thinking.

"Get a grip, Kagome…you don't like Koga, remember?" She muttered to herself.

After a few more moments, she stood and started her walk back to the village, surprised that no one had come to look for her yet. She was about halfway back when Inuyasha showed up on the trail, frowning at her.

"Hey, Inuyasha, I was just coming back-"

"I smell Koga on you." Inuyasha interrupted. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"He and his adopted son were passing by, that's all, Inuyasha." Kagome explained calmly. Inuyasha looked skeptical, but walked up to her and took a closer sniff. He could detect the scent of a wolf pup, but it had no similarity to Koga's scent. It looked as though Kagome was telling the truth after all.

"Keh, well, just follow me back to the village then." He said, turning and heading back the way he had come. Kagome fell in step at his side, and watched his face.

"Inuyasha? Are you alright?" She asked after a silence.

"I just don't like him bein' around you, even with a pup nearby. I don't trust him, Kagome." Inuyasha explained softly. She wondered if he had hit his head or something before she remembered that the new moon was approaching. Inuyasha was always more emotional on those nights.

"It's really ok, Inuyasha. There's no need to worry." She said as she walked at his side. Inuyasha sisn't reply, and they returned to the village in silence. Everyone else had gone to bed, and Kagome curled up in her sleeping bag next to Shippo, her own adoptive son, and shortly drifted off to sleep knowing Inuyasha was outside in his sturdy tree keeping watch over them all.

Alright, with any luck, the real plot will kick into action in the next chapter, and if it does, consider yourself warned now; there will be very M rated events, as I'm sure the summary told you. See you next time!


	4. Koga's Treasure and Inuyasha's Betrayal

It was well into the heart of the night, and Koga still tossed and turned in his straw and fur bedding. He couldn't put his mind to rest; it was almost like something was about to happen, something terrible, and he couldn't prevent it if he tried. He glanced down at Shigoru, who slept soundly on his side and sat up. Carefully so as not to wake him, Koga got to his feet and stepped out onto the ledge at the front of his cave, looking down on his moonlit lands. He had removed his sword and armor and wore only the fur around his waist.

Koga looked up at the sliver of moon that still hung high above him, thinking back to the treasure he kept hidden safely away. He turned and walked back inside his cave to a far away corner and pulled a rock from the wall to reveal a small hole in the side of the cave wall. In the hole sat a wooden box that held a large and beautiful gem called a Moon Stone. Koga picked up the box and peeked inside at the sparkling gem with a wide smile.

Tsukiyomi, the Moon God, was said to have gifted the gem to Koga's grandfather in his youth as a gift to what the god called "his children", the wolf demons. The gem had been passed along to Koga's father, and now to him. He wasn't sure of the power it held or the reason it had been gifted to his family…it certainly wasn't simply to look pretty, that was for sure. They had been warned to guard it ferociously as well as to keep it a secret so it wouldn't be stolen.

Koga returned his family treasure to the hole in the wall, and shoved the large rock back where it went to hide it. He then returned to his bedding, his mind still uneasy. He lay back and stared upwards, his eyes refusing to close, and resigned himself to staying awake until sunrise.

Moon Heart

Kagome awoke with the sun that morning feeling fresh and rejuvenated. She sat up in her sleeping bag and stretched her body, accidentally nudging Shippo awake.

"Sorry, Shippo, I didn't mean to wake you." She said. Shippo yawned and mumbled something about needing to wake up anyway. They got up and walked outside the hut to take in the view of the morning. Shortly after, Sango and Miroku awoke and Inuyasha strolled into the village with a boar they could roast for breakfast.

After the meal was eaten, Inuyasha started to herd them all out of the village to resume their hunt for the shards.

"They aren't gonna find themselves, ya know." He chastised.

So the pack began their hunt anew, taking a trail that lead to the east, searching seemingly in vain for more shards of the shattered sacred jewel.

Moon Heart

Koga had, as he had predicted, laid awake until the sun rose, and the pack was gathering for breakfast that the night watch had hunted down. Koga wearily lead a bouncing Shigoru to the main clearing of the pack, and introduced him to the other young of the pack. There were not many, but they bonded well and started to play once they had swallowed their last bites. Moyakari watched them gambol around each other in the grass as Koga stumbled to a stream and splashed water on his face. Ginta and Hakkaku came to either of Koga's sides and looked at him with concern.

"Hey, Koga…are you alright?" Ginta asked.

"I didn't sleep a wink last night. I'm just tired is all." Koga explained through a yawn. Ginta and Hakkaku exchanged a glance but followed Koga closely as he made his way back to the clearing where his pack still sat conversing. He dropped to the grass at Moyakari's side.

"You look tired, Koga, did the pup keep you awake?" She asked. He shook his head.

"My mind was very uneasy. I felt like something bad was gonna happen all night." Koga said quietly.

"Do you still have that feeling?" Moyakari asked.

"I do." Koga growled. "I think Naraku is up to something."

The two adult wolves watched the young play in the clearing, getting dangerously close to the path that lead down the mountain. Koga sighed a bit at the thought of Naraku, another hanyou he hated. One day, he'd be out of his hair once and for all.

"Get back here, Shigoru! Stay where we can see you!" Koga called out, and Shigoru obeyed at once, leading the other pups back into the grass. Koga turned to Moyakari with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I might have to patrol around the east today, just to easy my mind. Keep the pups safe, and the guard alert. If something happens, we don't wanna get caught unawares." Koga said standing.

"Of course, Alpha." Moyakari replied.

Koga headed down the mountain, keeping his senses alert and sweeping over the landscape. If Naraku was around, he'd catch the bastard's scent soon enough.

Moon Heart

Inuyasha and the others had been traveling a mere hour when the Saimyosho of Naraku's began to swarm all around them, signaling the arrival of the wicked hanyou. Everyone grabbed their weapons at once and prepared for battle, their hearts racing with fear and adrenaline. A few swipes of the Tetsusaiga and Sango's Hiraikotsu cleared most of the insects from the air, and that was when Naraku decided to show himself. Inuyasha snarled at once and launched an attack at him.

"How good to see you again, Inuyasha." Naraku endowed silkily.

"I'll kill you this time, you bastard!" Inuyasha roared at him, and threw a wild Wind Scar at the evil hanyou, who dodged it easily.

"I think not, half-breed…it's you who will die today. Along with your little human girl." Naraku sneered at Kagome as she launched an arrow at him. He avoided this as well an continued his speech as if he had not been interrupted.

"You see, I have a miko on my side as well." Naraku's next words were followed by a ringing silence.

"You can't mean…" Inuyasha breathed, but before he could even voice them, his worst fears were confirmed as Kikyo stepped into view. "Kikyo!"

"Now, my dear Kikyo, cast your spell!" Naraku commanded, and the undead priestess began her chant at once.

"What spell are you talking about? Kikyo, don't listen to him, he killed you!" Inuyasha cried out at her in vain. Kikyo paid no heed and continued her chant, each word sending daggers of blinding pain through Kagome's body. She fell to her knees moaning in agony as Shippo tried to console her.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha and the others soon realized the pain their friend was in and raced to her side. Kagome seemed to be glowing a bright pink, but the color was fading rapidly until the light was white, and then even the light began to die. Kikyo called out the last words of he chant, and the light around Kagome died completely, and the pain vanished, but her body throbbed in memory of it.

"What the hall have you done to Kagome?" Inuyasha screamed at Naraku and Kikyo. Naraku laughed, and it was dark and slick as oil.

"We have rendered her useless to you, half-breed…your miko is now a mere human!" Naraku announced at the dismay of the entire group.

"You'll pay for this, you bastard!" Inuyasha howled and charged Naraku, who waited patiently for him to come closer.

"As a matter of fact, Inuyasha…you will be the one to pay." Naraku growled and held up a fist. From it flew three tainted jewel shards, heading straight for Inuyasha.

"NO!" Sango, Shippo, Miroku and Kagome all screamed at once as the shards sank into Inuyasha's chest and wrists, the blow throwing Tetsusaiga from his grasp. Inuyasha fell to his knees, his hands covering his face as he started to snarl and shake.

Kagome ran towards him without abandon, shaking Miroku's hand from her shoulder. She threw her arms around his shoulders calling his name as Naraku laughed and his tentacles shot up around the others to trap them.

"Foolish human, he'll surely kill you. You cannot purify the shards without your miko powers." He taunted.

"You…you bastard, Naraku!" Kagome screamed just before Inuyasha threw her from him roughly. She stumbled backwards, and he faced her, getting slowly to his feet. Inuyasha's eyes were blood red and glowing, his fangs dripped from his mouth and he bore jagged purple markings under his eyes. He snarled at her and Kagome continued to call out his name to him, trying to get him to return to normal. She was so afraid she even forgot to yell sit.

"Why so afraid? Come here, Kagome…" Inuyasha snarled viciously at Kagome, who stumbled even farther back.

"You…you're not yourself…come back to me, Inuyasha, please! Don't let Naraku control you!" Kagome cried, tears trailing down her face.

"I control myself, Kagome! Get over here and let me smell how afraid you are!" He roared at her and jumped forward with a swipe of his deadly claws. Kagome fell backwards to the ground and rolled to her hands and knees at once, scrambling towards the forest with screams of terror.

Inuyasha grasped his face and thrashed were he stood, fighting the shards' control over him a moment but only managing to give Kagome a head start before he took off after her. Kagome gasped for breath as she ran full tilt through the trees, trying her best to escape Inuyasha, but she could hear him catching up to her, screaming her name in a terrible voice. She tripped over a fallen tree and landed on her front with a cry. It was there Inuyasha found her, a dark chuckle reverberating through his form.

"Ah, here you are, Kagome. Why did you run away from me? It doesn't matter, though, the scent of your fear lead me right to you." He snarled and leaned forward to grab her by the hair and drag her screaming to her feet. He put his face in hers and drew in her scent.

"Do you have any idea how good you smell, Kagome? All that fear just for me…makes me wanna fuck you."

"No, Inuyasha please, let me go! Don't do this, take out the shards, please!" Kagome begged of him, but to no avail. He released her and swiped at her front, his claws catching her shirt, bra and flesh. She screamed and fell backwards once again, her clothes falling torn from her now bleeding body. Inuyasha licked the blood from his claws as he laughed down at her.

"So delicious…I'm gonna enjoy this…" He swiped at her skirt, but she scrambled back again, his claws missing her by inches.

"Inuyasha, please, you don't want to do this!" Kagome cried up at him as she tried to get away from him. He laughed loudly at her and fell forward to pin her beneath him.

"Oh, but I do, Kagome, I really really do." He growled, nuzzling her neck and grazing her tender flesh with his fangs. Kagome whimpered and trembled at him, trying to push him off, but her pinned her wrists above her head with one hand.

"No no no please don't do this to me, Inuyasha!" She screamed, but he merely shredded her skirt and shoved his hakama lower on his body, revealing himself. He snarled at her with a cruel grin. She struggled, ignoring the rocks digging into her back, but she couldn't escape him.

He used his legs to spread hers and without warning drove himself into her untouched passage. Keeping her hands grasped in one hand, he grabbed her knee with his other and pulled her closer as he got to his knees.

"You feel so good around me, Kagome…you'll enjoy this, too." He growled and drew himself out before thrusting back in.

"Not like this, Inuyasha, please, stop it!" She cried, but he snarled down at her in pleasure, his pace quickening. She screamed and cried as fast as she could draw breath under Inuyasha's brutal assault on her once pure body. Blood and her fluids were streaming from her opening which only excited the crazed half demon above her. It wasn't long before he howled his completion and left his seed deep in her body. He panted for breath as he drew his softening length from her.

"That was wonderful, Kagome…it's a shame you aren't fertile." He growled at her. Kagome could do nothing but cry from the pain he had inflicted upon her. Her vision was fading as he stood and covered himself again. She could see his lips moving, but could hear no sound. She fell unconscious and that hanyou stared down at her, still a slave to the jewel's powers. He jumped through the trees away from her, the power calling him back to Naraku, and he could do nothing but obey.

Moon Heart

Koga's patrol had started uneventfully, but he soon found the scent of the despicable hanyou Naraku, and tore after it as fast as his shard-enhanced legs could carry him. As he came closer and closer, he started to smell Kagome, Inuyasha, the scent of evil, and the scent of arousal.

His heart grew stone cold at the thought of Kagome and Inuyasha together in that way, but there was nothing in the world that could prepare him for what he actually found. His beautiful pure Kagome; broken, bleeding, raped and unconscious on the forest floor all alone. Inuyasha had used her and left her for anyone to find!

He raced to her side calling out to her, but she didn't reply. She was out cold. He looked upon her in horror, his heart in his stomach, refusing to beat. He felt a rage the likes of which he had never experienced in his life welling up in his chest. He clenched his fists and tears spilled from his eyes…he hadn't gotten there in time to save her. He could have stopped this!

"I could have saved you! Oh Kami, Kagome I'M SO SORRY!" Koga howled his grief and sobbed over Kagome's still form. "I'LL KILL HIM FOR THIS! I'LL KILL YOU, INUYASHA!"

Koga screamed until his voce was broken, but no amount of screams would save Kagome or kill Inuyasha. Koga scooped up Kagome and bolted for his den as fast as he could. He had to make sure she lived, and that she would never be left alone with Inuyasha ever again. He would protect her, he would comfort her, but first he had to gain her forgiveness. He knew he would never forgive himself, but if he could get her forgiveness, he might just survive.

Moon Heart

Inuyasha slowed to a stop, the jewel's powers fading, allowing him a moment to return to his senses, to relive what he had done to Kagome, to realize that it wasn't a horrible nightmare.

"D-did I…?" He whispered brokenly. He knew by the scents that clung to him that he had. He had betrayed Kagome in the worst way possible, all because of Naraku…and because of Kikyo.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Moon Heart

Thanks for reading and reviewing, and sorry about the graphic nature of this chapter. The next one won't be so bad, but it will probably be just as devastating. After all, Kagome has to face what happened to her. Stick around if you dare!


	5. The Broken Heart of Alpha Koga

Author's note: Thanks again for all the reviews, it really helps to motivate me ^.^ So, chapter 5, here we go!

**The Broken Heart of Alpha Koga**

Koga raced home with his woman in his arms, holding her carefully and trying not to jostle her around too much. He didn't want to make her injuries worse by any means. He made it up his mountain in record time, dashing up the path to where most of his wolves were still milling around. There were calls out to him, first in joy, but once they caught the scents and the girl he carried, the calls turned from joy to shock and horror. Koga stopped and knelt, setting Kagome on the soft grass and dragging ragged breaths into him. They began to crowd her, and Koga jumped up to shove them back away from her, not so gently.

"Get away from her! Let her breathe!" He snapped angrily, but at once calmed down. "Sorry guys, I'm sorry, I don't mean to snap at you-" He began, but a breaking voice interrupted him.

"I'd snap, too! My Kami, Koga, who the hell would do this to Kagome?" Moyakari howled, tears in her eyes and anger in her voice. True, Moyakari had never actually met Kagome, but she knew all about her from Koga, and already knew she would like the human girl. Who could do something like this to her?

"It was Inuyasha." Koga breathed in hatred.

"The hanyou who travels with her? The man she chose over you?" Moyakari asked softly. Koga nodded and everyone fell silent, clearly feeling something along the lines of Koga's pain. All but one.

"Now you're taking in abused humans, Koga?" Hagetsu sneered at the Alpha wolf demon.

Koga, along with several others of the wolf pack, got up in Hagetsu's face and started to snarl viciously at him. Startled, Hagetsu ran back and away from the others, getting a vast distance between himself and everyone else.

"Ginta, go find Kagome some clothes, Hakkaku, got find her food and water, Moyakari, carry her into the hot springs and see if you can clean her up. Everyone else, go back to what you were doing." Koga commanded in a soft voice. "I'll let you all know when she comes to."

The wolves dispersed and Moyakari cradled Kagome in her arms and walked off towards the hot springs. It was about then that Shigoru and the pups ran towards Koga.

"Alpha Koga, what happened! I smell that human girl, Kagome!" Shigoru cried, running into Koga's legs. Koga stared down at him.

"She's been hurt. I…I just hope we can help her." Koga said.

"You can help her, Alpha Koga, I know you can." Shigoru said. Koga swallowed hard as he eyed the pup.

"I…I couldn't save her. I couldn't protect her, Shigoru." Koga whispered, kneeling before him.

"You…you weren't there, Alpha Koga. If you were, you would have saved her. But she's here now. Now you can protect her, just like a wolf would protect his mate." Shigoru said. Koga raised his eyes to Shigoru's and managed a weak smile. This adopted pup already knew exactly what to say to help Koga get back on his feet. Koga wrapped an arm around the little one's shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Shigoru…I almost gave up on myself." Koga said. Shigoru beamed at him.

"I'll never give up on you, Alpha Koga, and I'll never let you give up on anything…especially that nice human girl." Shigoru said, his small chest puffed out with pride. Koga smiled and stood, a hand ruffling his hair.

""You can just call her Kagome." He said, and went to help Ginta find something for Kagome to wear.

**Moon Heart**

Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara managed to escape Naraku's clutches once Inuyasha and Kagome had been gone for far too long. They looked and looked for their friends, but found not hide nor hair of either one. They vowed they would search all night and to the ends of the earth for the human and the hanyou that had most likely been kidnapped by Naraku. Shippo was hurting the most at the loss of Kagome. Though he had never mentioned it to her, Shippo viewed Kagome as his adoptive mother. As they soared high in the dying light of day, Shippo realized how much time he had wasted. He had always found some excuse as to why he couldn't ask Kagome to be his mother. He promised himself that as soon as she was safe again, he'd ask her. He would waste no more time as an orphan.

**Moon Heart**

Inuyasha fell to his knees in the forest, the knowledge of what he had done was tearing him apart inside. Kagome was his best friend, his first real friend, she accepted him for who he was, gruff attitude and all. She accepted his dirty blood and tried to convince him over and over to stay the way he was, the way she loved him. She loved him!

_Not anymore…not after that…she'll never forgive me…I've lost her…what have I done?_

Inuyasha clenched his fists, his claws sinking into the palms of his hands as he felt the power of the jewel shards in his body rising within him again. He reached for the shard in his arm only to have his hand yanked away by the power of the shard. He snarled as the power rose higher, fought it off as hard as he could, but it was pointless. After moments of struggle, he stood in his demon form and took off through the trees, seeking his master again.

**Moon Heart**

Moyakari bathed Kagome carefully and dressed what wounds she could. Once she was cleaned and bandaged, she carried the human girl back to her cave and laid her down on her sleeping spot. She then sat and waited for Koga and Ginta to meet her here. It wasn't long before Kagome began to stir and groan. Moyakari stepped back a bit and watched her open her eyes.

Kagome remembered being in the forest, she remembered it being day time, she remembered the ground being rocky and uncomfortable, but now it was dark all around her, she could detect the damp smell of caves, and she was laying on soft bedding somewhere. She opened her eyes not knowing what to expect and found herself in a cave. She sat up with a groan, and found the wounds on her chest and back had been bandaged.

"Kagome, you're awake." A soft voice said at her side. Kagome looked over to find a female wolf demon kneeling beside her.

"Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here? Where is everyone?" Kagome voiced all the questions on her mind, except where Inuyasha was. At the thought of the hanyou, Kagome shuddered and felt tears spring forth in her eyes. Moyakari looked on with sympathy.

"I am Moyakari of the Eastern wolf tribe, a friend to Koga. He's the one that brought you here. He found you in the forest…in this condition." Moyakari explained. Kagome grew cold…Inuyasha had _left her there? _The memory of what else he had done rushed back, his cruel words, his snarls of pleasure at her pain, the feeling of him invading her…

Kagome broke down into sobs and Moyakari understood her pain. She and trusted him, and he had stolen her purity against her will. The female wolf edged closer to the human girl, wanting to provide her any sort of comfort. As Kagome bent over herself in her tears, she saw the bandages around her again, and glanced at the wolf demoness.

"Moyakari, right? Did you…bandage me?" Kagome asked through her tears. She nodded.

"I did, Kagome-neesan." Moyakari said. Kagome threw herself into Moyakari's arms and cried her heart out into her shoulder. Moyakari held her and stroked her raven hair, willing her to take comfort in the physical contact.

At that moment, Ginta and Koga stepped into Moyakari's cave with clothes for Kagome to wear.

"Neesan, you're awake!" Ginta said. Kagome flinched a bit at sound of the male voice, but she knew Ginta.

_You "knew" Inuyasha, too… _A voice in her head argued with her.

_Inuyasha had the jewel shards…_

_Don't defend him, he raped you! You trusted him and he betrayed you!_

Kagome whimpered and her crying resumed again. Ginta looked awkward and ashamed that he had seemingly made her cry, but Koga wasn't angry. He took the clothes from Ginta, and told him quietly to leave them be awhile. Ginta obeyed, and decided to help Hakkaku. Koga crept closer until he was at the side of the two women.

"Kagome?" He said softly. Kagome looked up at him, and saw that the pain in his eyes mirrored hers. "Here, I got you something to wear…your clothes couldn't be saved." He breathed. Kagome nodded at him, and remembered that he had saved her from the forest floor, or so she had been told.

"Koga…thank you for saving me." She said. Koga shut his eyes.

"But I didn't…had I been there, gotten there sooner, I could have saved you from that mutt, but I wasn't there, and I was too late. I'm so sorry, Kagome, I know you can never forgive me for letting this happen to you, but just know how sorry I am." Koga explained, fighting back tears of his own. He set her clothes down beside her and made to leave the cave.

"It's not your fault, Koga…there's nothing to forgive, and I'm grateful you took me here." Kagome said into Moyakari's shoulder. Koga glanced back at her.

"You really…forgive me?" He asked. Kagome nodded, and Koga breathed a small sigh of relief. Then another thought came to his mind.

"Kagome, I wanted to ask you something alone, but if you don't want to be alone with me, I can ask you right now, with Moyakari here. I trust her, after all." He began. In truth, if she didn't trust him enough to be alone with him, then his question was already answered.

"What is it, Koga?" Kagome asked, straightening up from Moyakari and kneeling beside her facing Koga. Koga looked away in hopes that she wouldn't see his heart breaking.

"Kagome, well…after this, I'm sure the last thing you want while you recover is a male pursuing you…am I right?" Koga said, looking at the cave floor. Kagome felt an odd pang in her heart, but it was true. She didn't want any male around her right now, wanted to be left alone under the watch of Moyakari, whom she had already taken a liking to, and was female.

"That's…right, Koga…I don't think I could handle much right now." She said, tears surfacing in her eyes again. Koga bliked his own tears away and forced the next words from his mouth.

"Then I won't pursue you. I remove my claim from you, Kagome. I still love you, and I'm still your friend, but I'm not your suitor anymore." Koga said to the floor and swept out, his heart in pieces on the ground where he once stood.

Silence filled the cave as he departed, Moyakari shocked, but once again in awe of her leader. He had put her before himself time and time again, and now he had broken his claim of her in regards to her best interests, at the cost of his happiness. Kagome watched him go, knowing that she had finally succeeded in doing what she had been trying to do since she and Koga first parted way…get him to remove his claim on her. Koga finally saw the light, saw that she wasn't interested in him that way. Kagome knew she should be happy, but why did she feel like she wanted to cry all over again?

"Moyakari…I'm really hungry." Kagome had tried to speak her uncertainties, but couldn't find the words and settled for her desire for food instead. Moyakari smiled at her and patted her hand with hers.

"Don't worry, Kagome-neesan, Hakkaku will be here with food and water shortly." Moyakari said. "Shall I prepare it for you?"

"Yes please, thank you. You're very kind." Kagome said.

"I try." Moyakari replied, which caused Kagome to give her a weak smile. "Please try not to worry, you'll be perfectly safe here. We just want you to focus on recovering."

"That might take awhile…" Kagome muttered. Moyakari sighed and moved closer to the front of the cave to build a fire to prepare the meat that Hakkaku and Ginta were hauling towards them.

"How is she?" Hakkaku asked Moyakari in an undertone. The she-wolf shook her head.

"Not good right now, but give her time. She is a strong girl, I know it."

Once the meat was on the fire, the two males left and Moyakari watched it darken, occasionally glancing at Kagome, who was curled on her side.

"Kagome-neesan? Is it too early to talk about what happened? I'm here for you, whatever you need." Moyakari said to her.

The event was replaying over and over in Kagome's mind, as though trying to force her to face it. She knew she could never be the same after this, but she also knew that she could not let this define her or control her…but the pain of it was so intense in that moment that all she wanted was the replay to stop and let her be. This thought of course made the replaying only worsen, throwing every painful feeling into sharp relief.

Moyakari cut off some of the cooked meat and placed it in an empty bowl beside the bowl of water she had beside her. She picked up the two bowls and returned to Kagome's side.

"Here, Kagome, eat up…but be careful, it's hot."

Kagome sipped the water and decided to let the meat cool for a while.

"Moyakari?"

"Yes, Kagome?"

"Why did Koga…remove his claim from me?" Kagome asked. She already knew why, in truth, but for some reason she had to voice the matter to be at peace.

"He wants you to recover from this, Kagome, and he knows if he's constantly asking you to mate him, you won't recover as quickly. He cares about you and wants the best for you, even if it breaks his heart." Moyakari explained, chewing her own cut of the cooked meat.

The two sat in silence, sipping water and eating their small dinner. Outside the cave, Kagome could see the sun beginning to set, casting long shadows along the ground. She thought again of Koga, how he had saved her and now was finally backing off like she had always wanted. She wondered what he was doing out there.

**Moon Heart**

Koga moved away from the cave like a soulless undead. His feet carried him back to his own cave, a place of safety and solitude, though no conscious thought directed him. He had removed his claim from Kagome. He would not pursue her. He could not convince her to mate him. He felt his world coming down around him. Kagome was his one and only. If he could not have her, he could not have anyone. He entered his cave and curled up on his bedding with a heavy sigh. At the cave entrance, a small face poked inside.

"Alpha Koga?" Shigoru called. "What's the matter, Alpha Koga?" He ran inside the cave and knelt by the fetal Koga.

"Kagome doesn't want a male to pursue her, kid…so I can't make her my mate." Koga told the pup sadly. Shigoru's face fell and his little shoulders slumped.

"Oh…well…what about when she gets better?" Shigoru asked.

"Hm?" Koga glanced up at him.

"Maybe when she gets better, she'll see how you rescued her, and how much you love her, and she'll want you to mate her!" Shigoru suggested brightly. That had to be the way things would happen, he just knew it. Koga heaved another sigh.

"Maybe she will, pup…but right now, she doesn't want anything to do with anyone. She's been very badly hurt."

"So I can't go see her?" Shigoru said, his face falling again. Koga shook his head.

"Not tonight, pup. Maybe tomorrow I can convince her to come down to the clearing for breakfast with the pack. Then you can visit her." Koga said as he rolled onto his back.

Shigoru could tell Koga wanted to rest alone, so he decided to go out and play with the other pups before the sun set and he'd have to come to bed. Shigoru hated to see his father so depressed, but the only thing that could help him now was the wounded human in a cave not too far away.

**Moon Heart**

As night fell on the eastern mountain that housed the wolf tribe, Kagome nestled into Moyakari's fur and straw bedding, preparing for bed. Moyakari had insisted that Kagome sleep in the bedding, and Moyakari would keep watch over her until morning.

"Are you sure you wanna stay up all night?" Kagome asked. Moyakari smiled and nodded at her.

"Of course! I won't let anything happen to you under my watch, Kagome." She said. Kagome smiled back at her.

_Koga's pack really does like me…I wonder if that will change once they know I'm not "Koga's woman" anymore…_ Kagome thought as she laid down to rest, that odd pang in her heart returning at the thought of Koga distancing himself from her. She was so tired, that even with her restless mind, Kagome drifted off to sleep in a matter of moments.


	6. The Rise of Alpha Kagome

**The Rise of Alpha Kagome**

Through the power of the jewel shards, Inuyasha ran through the trees all day and all night at his master's call without tiring. Naraku, however, wasn't foolish enough to lead the hanyou directly to his castle, even with his mind gone to his demon blood. So, through the shards, he lead Inuyasha in circles all night before sending Kikyo out to meet him in the middle of nowhere to retrieve his shards. They had done their work, after all. Inuyasha, his miko and their partnership had been destroyed. He would have very much liked Inuyasha to have killed the miko after her used her the way he did, but leaving her unconscious in the forest was almost as good.

Kikyo stood in the trees, her soul collectors drifted around her as Inuyasha barreled into sight with a roar. They stared at each other before Kikyo approached carefully.

"Naraku desires he shards, Inuyasha." She said and held out a hand. At once, the shards shot from his body and into her waiting hand, the exhausted hanyou falling to the ground asleep once the power had been taken.

Without a word, Kikyo's soul collectors wrapped around her and carried her off to safety before Inuyasha could regain consciousness. The fallen hanyou would remain asleep until morning. Kagome, however, would not get that luxury.

**Moon Heart**

Kagome spent the night battling through vicious nightmares in her sleeping moments, and her waking ones sobbing in the arms of the female wolf demon who had been put in charge of her protection. By sunrise, both Kagome and Moyakari looked terrible.

"I'm sorry you had to put up with me all night, Moyakari." Kagome apologized softly. Moyakari smiled at her and waved a hand dismissively.

"There's no need to worry, Kagome-neesan. I'd have been very surprised if nightmares didn't keep you up all night." She replied. "As it's morning, let me check your wounds."

Kagome nodded and Moyakari unwrapped the bandages around Kagome's torso. There were claw marks in her chest and small gashes in her back from where the rocky ground had cut into her, but they were all clean and beginning to heal nicely. Moyakari re-wrapped Kagome's upper body, and passed her the pile of furs that Koga had left the night before.

"I'm sure the pack would be honored if you could join us for breakfast, Neesan." Moyakari said. Kagome looked uncertain.

"Oh, I'm not sure…" She started.

"Why not? The whole pack accepts you, you won't be treated like an outcast or anything." Moyakari coaxed.

"They all accepted me as Koga's woman, though…now that I'm not, are you sure their opinion won't change?"

"I'm positive. You are far too sweet a girl to hate, Kagome." Moyakari replied with a smile. Her words made Kagome flash the wolf woman a real smile that lit up her eyes at last. Moyakari felt a rush of pride and affection for the human girl who was already trying her best to overcome her trial.

Kagome's whole torso was covered in bandages, but she still pulled on the blue under-cloth before pulling on the fur. She had two warmers on her lower legs and lower arms, patches on her shoulders and the fur around her waist was about as long as her school uniform.

"Now you really look like you belong here!" Moyakari said with a bright laugh. Kagome managed to share the laugh, but it wasn't as whole as it used to be. Moyakari frowned to herself; Kagome still had a long way to go.

As the two females left the cave, Koga came strolling up the path towards them. Kagome saw him walking towards them, and her heart felt strangely light all of a sudden, and a small smile played at her lips. Koga glanced up and flashed the two a fanged grin as he approached.

"Oh, hey ladies, I was just coming to get you. The pack met for breakfast early this morning." He explained.

"Why did they meet early?" Kagome asked. Koga locked eyes with her, and she saw that his blue orbs had lost some of their shimmer, a sight that made her heart clench a bit.

"I…I told them I'd removed my claim from you. I also told them that you still wanted to be left alone until you're back to your old self." Koga said carefully. In truth, he had told them courting her was still out of the question for anyone, including himself, while she recovered. He didn't want to seem like he was trying to control her actions, however, so he chose to tell her the truth with different words.

Kagome nodded, the pang in her heart returning at Koga's words, the light feeling gone as quickly as it had come. She frowned; why was her heart suddenly acting so oddly around her wolf demon friend? She had no explanation, after all, she didn't like Koga that way…

Moyakari glanced between the two, the pain evident in her Alpha's eyes, and was that disappointment in Kagome's?

"Is there still meat left, Alpha?" Moyakari asked to break the tension. Koga looked at her, his smile returning.

"We haven't eaten yet, I was just making the announcement. Come on, we're all waiting for you." Koga said and lead the way back down the path to the clearing, Kagome watching the muscles move under Koga's sun soaked skin. He hadn't worn his breastplate under his fur this morning.

The trio made it to where the rest of the pack was sitting and waiting to eat. Shigoru jumped to his small feet at the re-appearance of Koga, and ran to him, but looked up at Kagome.

"Kagome-san, I'm sorry you got hurt." Shigoru said to her. She looked down into his eyes so like Inuyasha's and almost had to look away. She forcibly told herself she could not blame the boy for having golden eyes and smiled down at him.

"It's not your fault, little guy, and I'll be ok soon." She said, speaking only of her physical wounds. "And please, just call me Kagome."

"I hope you'll be better soon, none of us like to see you hurt." He said, then looked over at Koga. "I'm hungry, Alpha Koga, can we eat now?"

Koga laughed down at the pup and ruffled his hair, causing him to whine and duck out of the way of his hand. Kagome was unable to halt a giggle at the sight. They then moved into the circle of wolves and made themselves comfortable.

Koga and Moyakari shared a significant look for a moment before Koga picked up a slab of meat. It was a rule among wolves that the Alpha pair always ate before the rest of the pack. Usually, Koga would hand half of his meat over to Moyakari, though not his mate, was the highest ranking female in the pack. However, now that Kagome (who until recently was Koga's intended) was here, the pack structure had somewhat changed. Moyakari gave Koga a slight nod, silently answering his inquiry. Though Kagome was not longer his intended, Moyakari felt Kagome's strength and knew it surpassed her own, and she would gladly step down to allow Kagome the "head female" spot.

Koga smirked and handed half of his meat to Kagome, a sign that the whole pack understood, but were smart enough to keep quiet about. Kagome was so hungry that she started to eat right away without even noticing that only Koga had joined her. It was after a few bites that she looked up and saw the rest of the pack waiting patiently as they watched her and Koga eat. She froze, uncomfortable at once and set her meal down. Koga glanced at her.

"What is it, Kagome?" He asked. She looked at him appalled.

"Why are we the only ones eating? And why are they just watching us? It weirds me out." Kagome explained in an undertone, causing Koga to chuckle.

"It's alright Kagome, I probably should have explained it to you. No one in the pack eats until I've eaten. It's a rule not just in my pack, but all wolf packs. It's a symbol of respect to one's Alpha."

"Then why was I allowed to eat?" She asked. Koga thought frantically a moment, knowing she would not appreciate being labeled Alpha.

"It's because you're not in the pack, Kagome." Moyakari supplied. "You don't have to hold to quite a few of our rules." Koga shot a look of relief and gratitude towards his cousin and resumed his breakfast.

"Well, I can't eat if no one else is, I'll wait too." Kagome said stubbornly. Koga laughed.

"If that's really how you feel, I can't control you, but just know you _can _eat if you want." Koga told her with some mirth. It didn't matter now if she ate with him or not; the pack had gotten the message. Kagome was the Alpha Female.

Soon Koga finished his meal and Kagome and the rest of the pack began theirs, and the awkward silence was replaced by lively chatter and laughter, and Kagome felt much more at ease than before. Koga and Moyakari scooted closer to her as she ate.

"Sorry I didn't explain that sooner, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Kagome." Koga said to her. She waved a hand at him.

"It's ok, everyone was just acting like they usually do, and that actually makes me feel a lot better. It's like no one knows or cares that a stranger is in their midst." Kagome said brightly.

"There isn't a stranger here, Kagome, only friends." He told her. She locked eyes with him again, and they shared a smile that for a moment, stopped the movement of time around them. Kagome had never felt so drawn into someone's gaze before, even his, before this moment and it was rather breathtaking. She felt her heart racing in her chest in a way that Koga had never done to her before, only Inuyasha. But even the brief though of him wasn't enough to break her gaze with Koga. The magic of the moment was broken all too soon by a rambunctious youth finished with is meal.

"Alpha Koga!" Shigoru cried and tackled Koga backwards to the ground where the two immediately started to growl and snarl playfully at one another, wrestling and roughhousing in the grass. Kagome laughed delightedly at the pair of fighting wolves as they tumbled down a nearby hill. Moyakari shook her head at the silly-ness of boys, just as another wolf had come to Kagome's now free side.

"I hope you enjoyed the meal, Kagome…I caught it myself." A smooth male voice said to her. Moyakari narrowed her eyes. What in the hell did Hagetsu think he was doing?

"It was great, thanks." Kagome said to the wolf, wanting to be polite. He grinned at her.

"I'm glad. I'm Hagetsu, by the way. I'll see you another time." He said and strolled away. Kagome watched him go, a look of confusion on her face. As he left, Koga and Shigoru came climbing back up the hill to the clearing.

"You'll need to learn to control yourself, pup." Koga was saying to him. Shigoru laughed and bolted away towards the other pups who were still finishing up their meals. "Wild youth." Koga grumbled as he sat down, a deep smile still set into his face.

After breakfast, the guard was chosen, tasks were set to the others, and Kagome found herself with nothing to do but return to Moyakari's cave and 'heal'. Part of her wanted to sit in a cave alone and wallow in the misery she felt over the violent loss of her virginity to the man she'd loved and trusted for so long, but another part of her wanted to be helpful, especially if she could be helpful near Koga. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought…maybe she was just seeking the company of a long time friend in her desire to be near him. That had to be it.

Her two desires warred for a few moments before she decided that if she wallowed in misery, she'd recover much slower. If she kept busy and helpful, she could get on with her life and heal her mind. Her decision made, she set out in search of Koga. It didn't take her very long to find him as she followed the cries of 'Alpha Koga', and discovered him entertaining the four pups of the wolf pack.

He seemed to be telling them a story of a battle had had fought in his past, acting it out as the pups laughed and asked question after question. Kagome hung back a bit and listened to the tale he was spinning, and found out it was the battle that had made him Alpha. She watched his enthusiasm and excitement play out on his face and ring in his tone, she watched him leap around to bring joy to children that weren't even his by blood, and she grew all the more fascinated with him. This was another side of Koga that was alien to her, and as she watched, she decided it was a side she liked. Any may that good with kids was a winner in her book.

She shook her head again with a groan, a groan that caught everyone's attention. Koga grinned at her.

"Hey, Kagome…aren't you goin' to Moyakari's cave?" He asked. Kagome shook her head.

"I actually wanted to see if there was something I could do…you know, to be helpful." She expressed.

Koga watched her a moment, then shooed the pups away, with much whining on their parts. Kagome managed a laugh again.

"It's great to hear you laugh, Kagome." Koga said, stepping up to look down at her. She smiled up at him.

"It's a good thing, I think. So, what can I do?" She asked.

"Well…I suppose if you wanted to hunt for jewel shard, Ginta, Hakkaku and I could go with you. It would probably make gathering them a lot easier." Koga suggested. He wasn't sure how well this suggestion would go over with her. After all, she hunted shards with Mutt-face, not him. He'd also kidnapped her to use her for her ability to see the shards back when they had first met. Kagome hung her head and new tears sprang forth in her eyes. Koga flinched.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring him up, I just-"

"No, it's not that, it's…" Kagome sniffled. "I've lost my miko powers." She cried. Koga's shoulders slumped.

"What? How? I didn't think demons could steal miko powers." Koga said. Kagome bristled at once, her tears replaced with anger.

"Another miko did it…not a demon. It was Kikyo."

"The undead miko that Mutt-face sees sometimes?" Koga supplied. Kagome nodded and Koga stared off into the distance.

"I'm sorry, Kagome…look, I'll find a cure, I'll get you back your powers, I promise!" Koga swore and grasped her hands in his. She locked eyes with him again, and the magic from before had returned, with the addition of a tingling in her hands where he held them. This moment was broken all too soon as well, before Kagome could even register her feelings, Koga blinked and dropped her hands like they had been burned. He had a faint blush under his eyes as he scuffed the ground awkwardly, looking down.

"Sorry…habit…" He mumbled, and soon after bolted away from her, already off in search in a way to break the curse on Kagome. He frowned, his heart throbbing painfully. It almost looked as though she was enjoying his touch, but he had promised not to pursue her. He sighed heavily. He hated the fact that he couldn't claim her, couldn't seduce her, couldn't woo her.

Kagome watched him go with a pain in her heart. Once again, she had been reminded that Koga wasn't after her anymore. She was so confused as to why every time she was reminded of this, her heart grew more and more hurt over it.

_What is wrong with me? It's almost like…no way. I don't like him like that… _

**Moon Heart**

Note: Kagome's trying so hard, huh? Hopefully the next chapter will shed light and reunite, catch ya in the next edition!


	7. The Moon's Very Heart

Note: Hey! Sorry this one took me a bit longer, I'm house sitting, so I won't be at my computer in the evenings. However, I'll do my best to keep at it, but it just might not be as fast as before, haha. Anyway, hope you enjoy this new chapter!

**The Moon' Very Heart**

Inuyasha rose with the sun, his head throbbing and his body aching from the exertion of the day before. He groaned as he looked around, uncertain of where he was, unclear on what exactly had happened before he passed out, and wondering where the hell his Tetsusaiga was. Without it, if he was placed in mortal danger, he would revert to his demon form again.

_The form I was in yesterday when I… _He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to finish even the thought. How could he, under ANY circumstances, do that to Kagome? He knew he could never face her again, probably couldn't even face his other friends, yet he felt compelled to find them. There had been his pack for years, after all. They deserved an explanation before he ventured out on his own again. He didn't deserve friends after this. He didn't deserve to live, truth be told. The only creature in the world who had truly accepted him had been violated and abused by him. He could hear her pleading him to stop, see her tears and smell her terror…all because of him.

Part of him felt like curling up on the forest floor right then and there and never getting up again. He almost gave into the idea, but he caught a scent on the wind. The scent of Kirara and the rest of his pack, minus Kagome. Not that he blamed her, but he wondered where she could be. He shuddered as he remembered the condition he had left her in, and he had run off into the trees leaving her there with no protection and no way for anyone of her friends to find her.

The fire neko landed, Miroku, Shippo and Sango jumping from her back and racing towards him, calling out his name. Sango carried the small rusted Tetsusaiga in her hands. He wanted to run, but his body refused to obey him.

"Inuyasha! What are you doing out here?"

"Inuyasha, we brought this for you."

"Where's Kagome?"

Inuyasha flinched at the runt's question. He didn't know where she was, and he didn't want to tell them why he didn't know where she was. He knew he'd have to tell them, however. They would need help finding her, wherever she was now. Besides, if they found her, she'd tell them, and if they didn't already know, they'd think even worse of him.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered, his voice breaking. They balked a bit at his tone…never had they heard him like this. "I…have Kirara take Shippo somewhere. I have to tell you guys something." Inuyasha spoke softly.

Miroku and Sango shared worried glances. Inuyasha looked more hurt and defeated than they had ever seen him, a sign that something terrible had happened. They didn't even argue, although Shippo more than made up for it, and he was calling after them even as Kirara took off with him into the bright blue sky.

"Inuyasha, what has happened?" Miroku asked, sitting down beside him.

"It has to do with Kagome, doesn't it?" Sango asked, sitting at the hanyou's other side.

Inuyasha nodded and began his tale, leaving out a few details of the horrible event, but leaving them in no doubt of what had occurred. The two humans were so horrified by the story that they could not even react with anger. They also knew it was the doing of the shards and Naraku, and didn't blame Inuyasha nearly as much as he did. They, however, were not pleased with him by any means, but they were prepared to allow him to join them in the search for their wounded friend. Inuyasha objected at first, but eventually they persuaded him. Kirara returned shortly after with a fuming fox kit, but he sobered almost instantly at the grim nature of the others around him. He knew something bad had happened to Kagome, something they didn't want him to hear, which at once had the kit in near hysterics before Sango explained that Kagome was not dead, but wounded somewhere, and they had to find her.

Even as Sango consoled Shippo, she and Miroku shared another worried stare. In all honesty, Kagome really could be dead. All they had to go on was a thin ray of hope that she had made it back to the village, or a friend had found her instead of any enemy. The mood was black as they sailed through the sky, returning to the place where Inuyasha had attacked Kagome to begin their search. They prayed each to themselves that they would find her alive and well, and not the leftovers of some beast's meal.

**Moon Heart**

As Koga had run off without giving Kagome any sort of helpful chore, she made her way listlessly back to Moyakari's cave, not expecting to find the wolf demoness there, but she was. She glanced up and smiled at the human girl in wolf furs.

"Hello, Kagome-neesan. How are you doing?" She asked. Kagome sighed softly.

"Alright, I suppose. Koga didn't leave me with anything to do."

"Well, we expected you to want to…be alone for a little while." Moyakari said uncomfortably. Kagome shrugged.

"It still hurts, but if I lay around wallowing in my pain and self pity, I'll never get over it. I'll just mope around about it forever." Moyakari nodded wisely.

"This is true, but everyone needs some time to grieve…it can be very therapeutic." Moyakari said a bit grimly. Kagome noted her tone and the look in her eyes, remembered some other odd statements she had made, and Kagome grew curious.

"Moyakari…you sound like you're…speaking from personal experience." Kagome said. She watched Moyakari look at her, watched the color drain from her face and the light fade from her eyes.

"I…I am. I know your pain well. I was…raped by someone I trusted too. Only he tried to make me as his mate as he did it…I ended up killing him."

Kagome gasped and knelt beside her, a hand grasping hers. Moyakari patted her hand and squeezed it lightly.

"I stayed right here in this cave for five full days, crying and begging the Kamis to end my life. I was convinced that the rest of my life would be lived on my side in tears. But on the sixth day, I woke up feeling joy like I'd never felt before in my life. I stepped out into the sun like a whole new person, I sang and I dance and I laughed all day like a drunken fool, just because my heart would burst if I didn't let all my happiness out." Moyakari explained.

"Why were you so happy?" Kagome breathed.

"I think it was because I had felt so terrible for so long, because I had spent so long grieving, that when I got over it, it was like I was gifted all the happiness that my grief had deprived me of. I had cried all the tears I could, and I couldn't cry a single extra one. I'm a very cheerful person, Kagome, for me to spend an hour or two in tears is usually a feat. I was…broken…for almost a week. That itself almost killed me." Kagome pulled Moyakari into a tight hug that the two remained in for several long and comforting minutes. They pulled apart, and Moyakari grabbed Kagome's shoulders to look her in the eyes.

"Trust me, Kagome, if you have to curl up and cry for a while, you should. Just know that you only have a certain amount of tears that will be spent on this, and once they're gone, you'll be just fine. If you think you'll never move, on, you're wrong." Moyakari smiled at her, and Kagome returned it, her words striking a chord deep in her heart.

"I know I haven't cried all my tears for this just yet, but I'm not the type to lie around and cry now so I don't have to cry later. I appreciate you sharing this with me and trying to help me…I'm confident I can get over this." The two smiled widely at each other once more, and knew they were going to be good friends for a rather long time.

**Moon Heart**

Inuyasha and the others finally came to the location of the attack, and found nothing of Kagome. There were a few splatters of blood, but nothing to suggest serious wounds, no drag marks, no footprints. Inuyasha could detect a faint trace of Koga's scent in the area, and deduced that he had found her and taken her to his den. He didn't like the idea of her being with Koga, but it was much better than being dead…or being alone with him again. No, Inuyasha knew he and Kagome could never be alone again. A fact that broke his very spirit. Knowing Kagome was alive and most likely well with the wolf, Inuyasha didn't mention the scent to his friends. In truth, he didn't want to find Kagome right away…he couldn't face her.

_As long as she's alive…_

**Moon Heart**

Koag had only one idea as to where to possibly find a cure for a curse. At the top of the mountain dwelt an old wolf demon, a friend of Koga's grandfather, and he was quite wise after such a long and full life. He called himself the grandfather of the the tribe, and insisted he be referred to as "Ojiisan", his real name lost somewhere only known to him. Koga headed out for his cave, wondering if he would have any information on miko curses, but chances were if he did not, he could find it. The sun was directly overhead when he made it to the mountain top. As he got there, the aged wolf stepped into the sunlight, leaning on a stick, his hair and eyes storm grey with time. Koga bowed to him at once.

"Ojiisan," Koga greeted. "I've come looking for an answer you might not have." He said. The old wolf chuckled.

"That's a bold statement, Koga, to say there's something I'm not aware of." He teased, limping towards the edge of the mountain. "Sit, boy." He commanded.

Koga obeyed, and the elderly wolf sat beside him carefully. He sighed as he relaxed under Koga's intent gaze.

"My old bones are wasting away these days, but my mind is as sharp as ever, young prince…as your questions." Koga nodded.

"Ojiisan, I'm sure you've heard of the miko Kagome, my…well, she was my intended." He began, but Ojiisan cut him off.

"You removed your claim, did you? What for? Do you not love her?" He asked. Koga shook his head.

"It's a long story, Ojiisan, I wanted to leave her alone while she recovers, but that's why I am here. As it turns out, she has been cursed. A fellow miko has stolen her miko powers from her." Koga explained, causing Ojiisan's eyes to become distant.

"A miko stole her spiritual powers, you say? There is only one curse in existence that can create such an effect." He said slowly.

"Well, if there's only one curse, there's only one way to break it. Tell me, Ojiisan, how can I save Kagome?" Koga asked quickly. Ojiisan eyed the younger wolf with amusement.

"Have you no interest in how this curse came about?" He asked. Koga considered this a moment, knowing Ojiisan had a reason for all his questions.

"Uh, I was a little curious as to where a spell to destroy miko powers could come from, yes." Koga muttered, picking his claws absently.

"Not destroy, merely block." Ojiisan said and shifted to get more comfortable on the rocks.

"Now pay attention, because I won't repeat, and you'll want to know this story. It was many many centuries ago, back when I was just a bit younger than you are now and a close friend to your grandfather. Two miko, sisters, had been raised differently than other miko, I know not how or why. All I know is that the two had an affinity for demons."

"That's strange for miko." Koga said. Ojiisan nodded.

"It is and it was. They were also very close, as sisters tend to be. So close, in fact, that they both fell in love with the same bear daiyoukai, but it was then that they grew apart. They both pursued him despite the others' feelings, and as he went back and forth between them, trying to decide which one he favored, the resentment between the two grew.

"Now, the elder of the two miko had another suitor, but she was too concerned with winning the heart of the daiyoukai from her sister that she never noticed his affection for her. But his love for her was unwavering. It wasn't very long before the daiyoukai made his choice, and it was the younger of the sisters he desired to mate. The elder sister was outraged that she had been so easily cast aside by the one she loved, and betrayed by the sister she had once cared so deeply for. At once, she began to devise a way to destroy her sister, and make her useless as a priestess."

"She would hurt her own sister like that?" Koga breathed.

"She would…love can be quite a devilish emotion, as I'm sure you know. Not only did the elder miko set out to destroy her sister, she succeeded. She created a curse to rob her sister of her spiritual powers, but the spell required her to bind her own life force to the spell, as well as have to support of a powerful artifact, which would also be the key to undoing the curse.

"Do you remember the other suitor of the elder miko? Once she was snubbed by the bear, she went to his side for support, and he allowed her, indulged her, continued to love her even as her heart grew black with malice towards her kin. She mentioned to him this need for an artifact, and he brought her to his cave to show her his greatest treasure…a gem recently gifted to him by Tsukiyomi himself."

"The Moon Stone! Her suitor was _my _grandfather?" Koga cried, shocked. He'd never heard of this before.

"Indeed. She saw the stone, and knew it held the power she needed. She finished her spell, complete with the method to break it, and cast it upon her unsuspecting and newly mated sister."

Koga stared a moment as he took in every word of the tale he had been told about what turned out to be his own kin.

"And the way to break the curse?" Koga prompted in hushed tones.

"The moon's heart must beat for the cursed miko just as the miko's heart must beat for the moon." Ojiisan said. Koga's brows furrowed.

"The moon's heart…the gem? I don't understand." Koga said, confused. Ojiisan simply watched him.

"Do you know what Tsukiyomi said the bearer of the gem is called?" Ojiisan asked slyly. Koga shook his head.

"You, who hold and protect that precious and powerful gem, are the very heart of the moon, Koga."

"The heart of the moon? The moon's heart must beat for the cursed miko…my heart beats for Kagome! I love her, she's the only reason I live, my heart beats for her, Ojiisan!"

"But the rest, Koga. Her heart must beat for you, too." Ojiisan said. Koga sighed a bit.

"Yeah, that's right. Oh, I get it, the elder miko knew my grandfather's heart beat only for her, not her sister, so her sister could never break the curse on her." Koga said. Ojiisan nodded at him once again.

"Clever that you caught that, yes, that was the elder miko's intentions. Her younger sister died without her powers."

Koga let everything sink in another moment before getting to his feet. He had his answer, now he had to head back to his pack before they grew restless.

"Thank you, Ojiisan, you've been very helpful." Koga bowed to the old wolf and made to descend the mountain.

"Koga," Ojiisan called, and he stopped. "I'm sure you're aware, but you must not tell Kagome how to break the curse." Koga looked back at him.

"Let me guess; if she tried to say her heart beats for me when it really doesn't just to break the curse, it will fail." Koga supplied. Ojiisan smiled a grim smile at the young wolf.

"You are very wise for your age, Koga. I know you are eager to help her, so try to get her heart to beat for you the proper way." Ojiisan suggested. Koga smirked and turned to leave again, but paused, facing forward.

"Ojiisan…my grandfather never mated the miko he loved, did he?" Behind him, Ojisan frowned deeply.

"No, no he didn't. He rutted with the Alpha Female of his pack to produce an heir, your father, but he died in love with a miko who never felt the same."

Koga stared off over the mountaintop, his heart aching for his grandfather in a way it never had before. He never knew how much pain he had been through. He smiled humorlessly as he looked down the mountain path.

"I'd always wondered why my father was an only child." Koga said before he bolted for the caves and clearings below.


	8. Kagome's Decision

Note: Once again, sorry this is taking too long, lol…but I'm still working on it ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter, I think it's a pretty good one :p

**Kagome's Decision**

Inuyasha and the others returned to the village, hoping to find Kagome under the care of Kaede, but the elder miko had no idea where Kagome could possibly be. Miroku and Sango grew all the more concerned, and Shippo fretted himself into tears again. Sango and Kaede tried their best to soothe the kit while Miroku racked his brain for anywhere Kagome might possibly have gone or been taken. Inuyasha remained quiet and by all appearances, calm. Miroku knew better, however…his hanyou friend was devastated and most likely hating himself more than he ever had before, and he had no idea how to comfort him.

"Sango…do you think Koga would help us look for her?" Shippo asked, looking up at the demon slayer with wide tear filled eyes.

Everyone's eyes whipped over to the young fox and he glanced at them all in return.

"Shippo, that's a brilliant idea!" Miroku said with a smile. "With Koga's speed and nose, we'd have a much better chance at finding her."

"It's possible that Koga's already found her." Sango said, getting to her feet happily. They had another lead, and they would waste no time following it.

"It's possible, but best we not get our hopes too high." Miroku said, following her and Shippo out of the hut.

Inuyasha scowled behind them, his heart thundering in apprehension. He didn't want to have to face her yet…he couldn't do it. Worse, he didn't want to hear what Koga would most likely say to him, not that he didn't deserve every word. However, he knew he was outvoted, and would have no choice but to go with them on their search for her. He would just have to steel himself as best as he could…

**Moon Heart**

Kagome had decided that she would accompany Moyakari when she took the next watch over the pups of the pack as she had no other task or chore to perform. The two headed down into the clearing to find the four pups playing under the watch of another of the pack's females. Once Kagome and Moyakari arrived, the other female bade them farewell and left the pups to the other two females. Shigoru and the other pups immediately began begging the two adults to play with them, which made them both laugh brightly and quickly agree.

Kagome gathered the wolves together and taught them Tag, volunteering to be "it" first. Kagome at first took it easy on the pups before they proved quickly that they were demons, and there was no need for her to run slowly for them. Within a few rounds, Kagome was running and playing as hard as any of the pups, laughing as loudly, but running out of breathe the fastest. Moyakari was called away shortly after they began their game, however, saying that some of the other females needed help skinning and crafting weapons. Kagome waved her off with the promise that she'd watch the pups until she returned. Kagome had no idea who long the all had been playing together when she collapsed to the ground on her back, laughing uproariously as the pups followed her example and tumbled in the grass around her. She heard a masculine laugh from the edge of the clearing. She sat up and looked over to see the wolf who had introduced himself to her as Hagetsu.

"Our pups seem to have taken quite a liking to you, Kagome." Hagetsu said with a smirk, striding closer. The pups backed off a bit as he approached, Shigoru narrowing his amber eyes at the larger wolf. Shigoru was there for Koga's announcement…he knew that Hagetsu knew that he wasn't supposed to approach Kagome. Shigoru didn't like the fact that this wolf was directly disobeying Koga's orders, and was prepared to tell Koga of this once he saw him again. Kagome laughed nervously at the male as he walked towards her.

"Well, I suppose I've taken a liking to them as well." She said. Hagetsu laughed.

"It's only because you're so sweet, Kagome." He said, baring his fangs at her. She laughed again. She wasn't sure why, but this wolf made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She didn't want to be rude to him, however.

"I guess…" She said. Hagetsu stood looking down at her for a long moment and his green eyed gaze made her skin crawl. In a quick movement that made her jump, he sat down beside her.

"Listen, Kagome, I know we've only just met, but I think you're beautiful and kind and loving and everything any man could ever want." Hagetsu said, looking over at her with a lazy smile on his face. Kagome felt her insides grow cold at his declaration and she had no idea why…he seemed normal enough, but she decided to go with her gut on this one.

"That's very sweet, but I'm not interested in a relationship right now." She said at once, looking away. Hagetsu's eyes took on a cold gaze as he watched her.

"I wasn't aware I was asking…" He said in an oddly threatening tone that made her turn back to face him, her fear rising sharply.

Shigoru, perceptive as usual, stood before Hagetsu where he sat and squared his small shoulders.

"I'd get away from Kagome, if I were you." He snarled.

"Shigoru, don't be rude…" Kagome started to say, but Hagetsu cut her off.

"This isn't any of your business, pup." He growled in return. Shigoru started to growl continuously at him causing Kagome to get to her feet and try to drag the boy backwards.

"It is my business when you disobey your Alpha!" Shigoru snapped.

"What do you mean disobey his Alpha?" Kagome asked the pup, who at once looked a bit guilty. Hagetsu chuckled darkly.

"Koga has been trying to say that no male is to come near you." Hagetsu said. "No matter what your wishes are. He wants his Alpha Female 'protected'." Hagetsu finished and Kagome stilled.

"Has he now?" She said quietly. What was it with men around her and trying to control her actions, anyway? "Wait, what? Alpha Female?"

"I tried to tell him you're a person with your own thoughts and wishes, but he wouldn't hear a word from me." Hagetsu said, getting to his feet.

"Kagome, it's not like that! Don't listen to him, he's a liar!" Shigoru cried up at her.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, pup." Hagetsu said to him. "Well, I just wanted to let you know how I feel for you, but I have things to get back to. Farewell, Kagome." He said and sauntered away.

Kagome sighed and sat back down in the grass. Shigoru stared at her.

"Hagetsu's a lying jerk who wants Koga's position, Kagome, you can't believe a word he says." Shigoru said. Kagome looked at him sharply.

"Then what did Koga say?" Kagome asked. Shigoru stopped, knowing Koga really had said that no male was to court her. Kagome scoffed lightly.

About this time, Moyakari was returning to the clearing to see Kagome on the grass and Shigoru watching her uncomfortably.

"Hey, Kagome…what's going on?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing, except Koga's trying to control me, just like every other man I know." Kagome snarled impressively. Moyakari frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently Koga told everyone that no male is to come near me no matter what I say. I guess I'm also Alpha Female, though no one told me or asked me or anything." Kagome said grumpily.

"He just said no one was to court you while you healed, Kagome!" Shigoru said.

"Who told you this, Kagome?" Moyakari asked.

"Hagetsu did. He told me he wanted to court me, and he wouldn't let Koga try to control either one of us." Kagome replied.

Moyakari sent the pups off to the stream to give the girls a moment of private time. She sat down next to the fuming Kagome knowing she had a few things to clear up.

"Kagome…Koga doesn't wanna control you; he just wants to protect you while you're recovering from your ordeal. He removed his claim from you so you wouldn't have a male hounding you to mate him. If he allowed any others of the pack to do it, there would be little point to him removing his claim in the first place." Moyakari explained. Kagome sighed.

"I have a say in this, too, Moyakari. What if I wanted to court someone else?" Kagome said. Moyakari sighed heavily.

**Moon Heart**

Koga blazed down the path towards the clearing, his mind on everything Ojiisan had told him. He knew how to cure Kagome, but it would require him to woo her, something he hadn't done in two years. Besides, he had removed his claim. He couldn't pursue her. He fretted about what he was going to do about this as he headed back down the mountain. He slowed to a trot as he neared the clearing, his nose picking up the scent of Kagome, Moyakari and the pups, as well as a lingering scent of Hagetsu. Confused, he started to round the corner until he heard Kagome's voice from the clearing.

"I have a say in this, too, Moyakari. What if I wanted to court someone else?"

Koga stopped dead and actually fell backwards to his backside in shock.

_She…she wants to court…someone else? She can't…she'll never get her powers back if she doesn't love me…I'll die alone like my grandfather…please, Kami, no…_

Part of him didn't want to listen to the rest, and he really wanted to obey that part…but his body obeyed the other part of his mind, the part that wanted to eavesdrop, and refused to stand and move away from the spot. He sat there and forced himself to listen to the rest of the conversation.

**Moon Heart**

"Well…I guess if you wanted to court someone…oh dear, that's the biggest problem with having an Alpha pair that are unmated." Moyakari said uncomfortably.

"So I am Alpha Female?" Kagome asked. Moyakari nodded.

"I was technically Alpha Female before you arrived, and I stepped down because I know you're much stronger than I ever could be." Moyakari said.

"What? How? I'm a human, and you're a demon."

"You're also a miko, a powerful one, and don't say you aren't because Koga will find a way to return your powers like he promised. Plus strength isn't always simply physical. Look at you, playing with the children, laughing and moving on with your life after what happened. I couldn't do that like you." Moyakari said.

Kagome considered her words and though she wasn't completely convinced, decided that being Alpha wasn't the problem she should be worrying about at the moment.

"Well…then, what's the problem with the Alpha pair being unmated?" Kagome asked.

"You see, the problem is since the Alpha pair is unmated…for example, Koga decides to mate another female. By doing that, he's saying he doesn't think you're strong or worthy enough to be Alpha female, which is why he wants to mate her and not you. Now, since you're not a wolf demon, you wouldn't be expected to challenge her because you'd probably lose. You'd simply be replaced as Alpha Female." Moyakari explained. Kagome nodded.

"I understand so far."

"It's a bit different the other way around, though. If you decided to mate another male, you'd be saying you don't think Koga is strong or worthy enough to lead, and that this other male is. Koga, however, would have to fight the other male for ruler ship, and the winner is made Alpha." Kagome pondered this a moment.

"So if I courted someone else here, I'd totally be undermining Koga's authority because I'm technically Alpha Female?" Kagome said slowly. Moyakari nodded.

"I'm sorry, Kagome, I should have asked you before letting you take my place." Moyakari said, wringing her hands. "I didn't mean to put you in this position, but I guess I didn't expect you to want to mate someone." Kagome waved a hand at once.

"Oh, I actually don't wanna mate anyone; I was just asking to make a point. I'm not interested in anyone here." Kagome said, but even as she did, she felt a nagging doubt probing her mind. Moyakari glanced sideways at her.

"No one?" She asked slyly. Kagome felt a blush rise in her cheek, and she tried to force it away, but Moyakari caught it and crouched in front of her, giggling gleefully.

"Oh-ho-ho! So you DO have someone in mind, do you?" She teased. Kagome shook her head vigorously.

"No, no way, I don't like him like that, really, I mean…I can't." She said. Moyakari stared at her, smirking.

"Who says you can't? You don't like anything controlling you, right?" She said. Kagome looked into her eyes, the two sharing something silently in the gaze.

"Well…maybe I could…give him a try." Kagome whispered, blushing furiously. Moyakari giggled again.

"So, who is he, anyway?" She asked. Kagome tried and failed to hide a small smile.

"Well…let's just say it won't cause any problems with the pack structure." Kagome said, still blushing and smiling carefully. Moyakari laughed, and the sound caused Kagome to join her almost at once. They shared their laugher for a while, and once they caught their breath, Moyakari turned to her again.

"All I have to say is listen to your heart, Kagome. If you like someone, you shouldn't fight it. That might end up ruining everything." She told Kagome, who thought about her words.

It was true, to be honest. She always seemed to know Inuyasha would never make a move, and she had always toyed with the idea of making the first move herself. But she had always talked herself out of it…and look where their relationship was now. Clearly ruined. She blushed a bit, thinking again of Koga, and realizing her heart had jumped and fluttered at the very thought. She sighed; it was no good fighting it anymore. She had to accept it. She liked Koga.

_I…I like Koga…I can't believe it… _Kagome thought, a wide grin and deep blush taking over her face again.

**Moon Heart**

Koga got to his feet, feeling much lighter than he had when he had fallen. Kagome had admitted that she liked someone in the pack and it "wouldn't cause any problems with the pack structure." Moyakari had explained it very clearly, that only left one choice. She liked him!

_Don't get your hopes too high, Koga… _He thought. _I have to hear the words from her._

Koga cleared his throat and entered the clearing just as the pups were returning from their trip to the stream. Shigoru raced up to Koga's side at once.

"Alpha Koga, I have to tell you something!"

"In a sec, little one, I have something to do." Koga said and made his way towards the two females, the pups following after him.

Kagome and Moyakari looked up as he approached, both of them flashing him wide smiles. He gave them a smile of his own, and his heart raced to see a faint blush tinting Kagome's cheeks. He flopped down in the grass beside them.

"Hey ladies, what's goin' on?" He asked.

"Nothing at all." Kagome said a bit too quickly, causing Moyakari to giggle, and Kagome to glace sharply at her.

"Just watchin' the pups, huh?" Koga said. Kagome nodded at him.

"Koga! Koga!" Ginta cried, racing into the clearing. Koga sighed heavily and called out to him, asking what was going on. Ginta stopped in front of him, panting for breath.

"Koga, there are guests coming up the mountain…they're…they're Kagome's friends, the ones she was traveling with a few days ago."


	9. The Reunion

**The Reunion**

Koga's eyes took on a hateful stare as he hauled himself to his feet. Kagome felt her heart race; half with anticipation and half with apprehension. She had missed her friends and wanted to see them again, especially Shippo…but Inuyasha was sure to be with them. She wasn't sure she could face him yet. Koga was certain _he_ could face him, however. He had promised to kill that bastard hanyou for doing what he had done to Kagome, and if he had to do it right in front of her, he would. She would probably thank him for it.

_Will she? My Kagome is very forgiving…stop it, Koga, she's not yours…yet. _Koga ended his thoughts with a smirk. He had also promised to return her powers to her, after all, which would require her loving him. He wondered how he would broach the subject of courting her again when Shigoru tugged on the fur on his left arm.

"What is it, pup?" Koga hissed down at the boy.

"It's Hagetsu, he was disobeying you, Alpha Koga." He growled. Koga frowned. He'd have to take care of this, but first things first; the mutt was coming.

"I'll deal with it today, Shigoru, thanks for telling me. Listen, I want you to stick by Kagome's side, alright? You too, Moyakari." Shigoru nodded enthusiastically up at Koga.

"Alright Alpha Koga!" He said, and stood next to Kagome, grinning up at her. She smiled back at him, trying to hide her nerves. Moyakari stood at her other side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kagome took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. She could do this. With that, the four followed Ginta towards the path that lead up the mountain, ready to meet them well before they made it up to the den.

**Moon Heart**

Inuyasha had decided that he would stay several yards back from the others when he caught Kagome's scent drifting down the mountain towards them. He knew if he just up and left, they would be suspicious, meaning he'd have to tell them he could smell her. He sighed; he was certain they'd be happy to know she was alright, why keep it to himself when they would find out in moments anyway?

"I smell her. She's here." He said softly.

The others shared a sigh of relief and Shippo cheered at the news. Kagome was alive, and among friends. It was then Inuyasha cast his tortured glance at Miroku, who frowned at once.

"I…I can't see her yet." He muttered and leapt from Kirara's back, landing on his feet on the mountain path, several yards from where the path opened up into a clearing. Kirara dipped down and landed, transforming into her smaller state and jumping into Sango's arms.

It was then when Kagome, Koga, Ginta, and two other wolf demons they didn't recognize stepped into view. Kagome grinned and ran to her friends, hugging Miroku and Sango and catching an excited Shippo as he launched himself into her arms. The happiness there was infectious, and Koga and Moyakari found themselves grinning at each other at the reunion. Shigoru, however found himself for some reason, slightly jealous of the kit in Kagome's arms. He furrowed his little eyebrows, wondering why he would feel such a thing.

_Am I more attached to Kagome than I thought? _He wondered.

Beside him, Koga's grin had faded, leaving a rather cold look upon his face.

_I smell Mutt-face down the mountain…he'd better not take a single step closer if he knows what's good for him… _Koga thought viciously. He was aching to taste hanyou blood to avenge Kagome's torn flesh, spilt blood, stolen innocent and damaged mind. He was brought from his thoughts when Miroku stepped forward and bowed to him.

"We're forever in your debt for rescuing Kagome, Koga." Miroku said. Sango nodded her agreement. Koga waved a hand at them.

"I did what I could…I couldn't get to her in time, and that's gonna haunt me forever." He sighed. Everyone seemed to share a sigh, some a wishful thought.

Kagome felt the question burning her throat, and knew she had to ask or she would never rest. She sucked in a deep breath and locked eyes with Sango.

"Where is he?" She asked, he voice softer than she had intended. Sango looked a bit uncomfortable and glanced at Miroku for help.

"Uh…he's down the path…his guilt is tearing him up to the point where he does not have the strength to face you." Miroku said. Koga growled deeply.

"His guilt had better kill him, or I will." He snarled. Kagome looked sharply at him.

"No, Koga." She said. "I couldn't let you kill him."

"Even after…?"

"Even after." Kagome said firmly.

"I'd deserve it, though." A voice said from behind the monk and demon slayer.

Kagome was unable to bring her eyes up to his for a long moment. Her heart was pounding through her chest, her body trembling lightly, but she knew she had to do it. She lifter her eyes and saw his bare feet, the red hakama that reached up his legs to his waist where the cloth hid the weapon he'd used against her. She shuddered and felt tears spring to her eyes, but she fought them for now. Not in front of him. He eyes climbed his body higher to his face, void of demonic markings, a small blessing. She tried then to meet his eyes and found herself unable. She reasoned with herself; she had to really look at him, even for a moment.

_Meet his eyes, even for a second, then you can look away…you have to do this, it's important… _

She met his eyes, and found in them all the pain and anguish she had felt over the event, perhaps even more. Beneath the shimmering gold was a tortured soul and hatred of his own weakness, but there was something else in there, something that frightened Kagome more than she could even fathom. There was a heat in his eyes, a heat she had seen before, a heat his eyes had held as he thrust into her. She tore her eyes away, staring at his chest, her fear rooting her to the spot.

Inuyasha, when he had rounded the corner, stared at her face. He refused to look lower at her body, either bare or adorned with wolf fur, another sign he'd lost her. He also didn't want to be reminded of what he felt when he violated her. The very worst part about everything he had done to her and everything he felt was the fact that he had enjoyed it. He had loved the feeling of her body beneath him, her hot core surrounding his length, how her hips felt under his hands. He had raped her…and he had enjoyed it. When she finally met his eyes, he saw the spark of fear in them, and knew she knew. She looked down, tears filling her dark brown orbs, all because he had raped her and he had enjoyed it.

Inuyasha turned on his heel and bolted off the mountain as fast as he could. The proof was there for everyone to see. The two that were once inseparable would now be parted forever. He knew Kagome could forgive him one day, but he would never forgive himself. He knew that Kagome might be able to look at him and talk to him again one day, but not today. Not even tomorrow. And it was all his fault.

**Moon Heart**

Kagome felt the tears slip down her face as Inuyasha ran from her without another word. Without a word from her. Everything she had ever felt for the hanyou was broken, and now she couldn't deny it. She knew she might forgive him someday, she knew they might even be friends again, but at the moment…

She covered her face with her hands and her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs. Moyakari, Shigoru and Shippo at once moved closer to her, trying to console her. Miroku and Sango shared a devastated glance, and Koga took a step forward. It was time; he had to pay for hurting her.

Kagome heard a twig under Koga's foot snap and looked up to see him striding in the direction Inuyasha had taken off in. She shot forward and grasped his hand in hers.

"No, Koga, please!" She said. Koga turned his eyes to hers and tightened his fingers around her hand.

"Kagome…he has to pay for this…" He growled. Kagome shook her head and stepped closer to him, her other hand grasping his forearm.

"I saw the pain in his eyes…he's paying more than enough, Koga. Please just…stay here?" She asked, her hands running idly up and down his arms. He bit back a smirk at the tingling sensation it sent through his whole body as he looked down at her. He felt himself become trapped in her gaze and everyone else around them melted away. He gave into his urge and brought her had to his lips, laying a kiss on her fingers and causing her to blush slightly.

"Alright. I'll stay here for you, Kagome." He said softly. Kagome beamed at him and he was forced to return a toothy grin.

Miroku and Sango shared a significant glance, while Shippo looked with confusion at a smug-looking Shigoru. Shigoru glanced at the fox kit and smiled a bit.

"Hi, my name's Shigoru, what's yours?" He asked.

"I'm Shippo." He replied.

"Wanna come play with us?" Shigoru asked.

"Us who?"

"Me and the other pups, come on, I'll introduce you!" Shigoru's uncontainable excitement resurfaced and he grabbed Shippo's hand and made to drag him into the clearing.

"Wait, Kagome…" Shippo began and Kagome broke out of her trance and looked down at him.

"What is it, Shippo?" She asked.

"Are you coming back with us?" He asked. Kagome looked uncomfortable.

"Uh…I was gonna stay here awhile longer, Shippo…until I think Inuyasha and I can talk again…I'm sure Koga will let you stay, too!" She added brightly, looking up at said wolf demon with wide pleading eyes. Koga laughed.

"Of course Shippo can stay with you, all of your friends can stay as long as they like." He said, and Kagome turned to her two human friends.

"We'd love to stay, Kagome, but I think Inuyasha needs us right now…" Miroku said and Kagome nodded in understanding. Inuyasha did need someone at his side, since his usual constant companion was no longer able to be there.

The group bade each other farewell with promises to get better and visit often, and the two humans and the fire neko took to the sky after their distraught hanyou friend. Shigoru proceeded to drag Shippo into the clearing with the two wolf demons and one human following along at a leisurely pace. Koga had slyly moved to Kagome's other side, allowing him to keep her hand in his as they walked. He tried his best to act as though it was a perfectly normal occurrence to walk hand in hand with her, and kept sneaking glances at her, wondering if and when she would pull away.

Kagome walked beside Koga, her hand still curled in his, her heart racing again, but this time in a much more pleasant manner. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on with him. Hadn't he removed his claim on her? Hadn't he run off after touching her hands the last time? Why was he allowing it now? Had something changed? As a matter of fact, why had he kissed her hand before? Allowed her to touch his arm as she had? She blushed at the memory of her rubbing his arm like she had. What was wrong with her?

Her heart skipped a beat as she felt his thumb absently running along her hand where it rested. She swallowed her heartbeat and wondered if she should take her hand back of not. She had admitted to herself that she liked him, she knew he still liked her…why shouldn't they?

Still, she felt awkward and shy…she hadn't told him how she felt, and he had removed his claim on her. She sighed a bit unhappily and pulled her hand from his. Just because she liked him didn't mean she could treat him like her boyfriend, after all. She felt another pang in her heart at the loss of the contact, and saw him look at her out of the corner of her eye. They said nothing, though, and continued walking back towards the den.

Once they arrived, Shigoru and the other pups began to welcome Shippo into their fold, and Moyakari decided to take it upon herself to watch them, leaving Kagome once again without a task. The she-wolf strolled closer to the pups, leaving the other two alone with each other. They stood together awkwardly a moment before Kagome cleared her throat.

"So, um…what task are you doing, Koga?" She asked.

"I don't have anything specific lined up right now. If you want, you and I could help Moyakari watch the pups, or something…" Koga replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, you said you'd try to find a way to lift the curse on me, didn't you?" Kagome remembered. Koga nodded.

"I asked Ojiisan, he's the pack's wise-man, I guess…and he said he'd find the cure for the curse. He didn't know how to lift a miko's curse." Koga lied. He hated lying to her, hated the wayt her face fell, and he felt compelled to tell her the truth at once. He stopped himself, knowing to tell the truth would do far more damage than good in the long run.

_The best you can do is woo her, Koga… _He thought to himself. He considered asking her to if he could court her, but the thought died as he remembered the tears in her eyes and the fear in her scent at the sight of Inuyasha. She wasn't ready yet. He was comforted, however, at the brave face she was putting on, how easily she laughed earlier, and the light that was returning to her smile. She might not be ready yet, but she was well on her way to recovering.

_Soon…soon I'll be able to ask her. _He smiled at the thought. Kagome narrowed her eyes a bit at him.

"What are you smiling for?" She asked, almost playfully. He shrugged.

"I'm just glad you're getting better, Kagome." He said, and her shoulders fell a bit, her face twisting in thought.

"Seeing Inuyasha…set me back a bit." She said. Koga nodded.

"I expected that would happen. But you're strong. You'll beat this, and soon." He flashed her a grin. She smiled warmly up at him, and his heart heated up at once.

It was about that moment that Shippo had managed to slip away from the over-excited wolf pups and return to Kagome's side. He tugged on her fur legging and she knelt beside him, smiling brightly.

"Kagome,. could I talk to you?" He asked quietly. Kagome nodded.

"Sure you can, Shippo…Moyakari, Shippo and I are gonna head up to your cave for a little bit, alright?" She called out and the she-wolf waved at them, smiling.

Kagome led Shippo towards the caves, apologizing for making him and the others worry about her. He told her he was simply glad she was alright, and glad Koga had helped her. Once they reached the cave, Kagome told him that he would most likely be sleeping here with her and Moyakari, something he was glad for. He didn't want to be separated from her again. He steeled his little verves; it was now or never.

"Kagome, I had to ask you something…" He started slowly.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Can…can I call you my mother?" He asked softly. Kagome paused. She'd always felt like a mother figure to him, but to actually hear it warmed her deep in her heart. She gathered him up in her arms and cuddled him to her chest, kissing his forehead.

"Of course you can." She muttered into his orange colored hair, causing him to squeal with delight and hug her all the tighter. Kagome brushed tears from her eyes and stood, asking if he'd like to return to playing with the other pups. He happily agreed, intending to take full advantage of having others his age to play with. They returned to the clearing, Kagome carrying what was now officially her son in her arms.

**Moon Heart**

Koga watched Kagome and the fox kit walk off towards the caves, and sat down heavily in the grass. Moyakari sat at his side at once.

"So, I saw her stroking your arm earlier, Koga…what's going on?" She asked him in a teasing voice.

Koga very quickly explained the method to breaking the curse on Kagome in an undertone, and went on to explain his dilemma. He wanted to court her, needed to, but she wasn't ready for a male pursuing her yet. Moyakari chuckled.

"Give her time. She's already quite fond of you." She said. Koga smirked.

"I overheard her admitting that she liked someone that 'wouldn't hurt pack structure'…that means me, doesn't it?" He asked, laughing lightly. She nodded.

"That it does, Alpha. I wouldn't rush her. Let her really come to terms with her feelings. She seems rather shy." Moyakari settled herself into a comfortable position as Shigoru remembered what he had to tell Koga. He ran to him at once and without pause of abandon, launched into his story.

"Alpha Koga, I almost forgot! That creep Hagetsu disobeyed your order, and started talking to Kagome this morning!" He said. Koga raised an eyebrow.

"Just talking to her?" He prompted. Shigoru shook his head.

"No, he told her he was beautiful, and everything a ale could want in a mate. He even tried to get you into trouble with her, and it worked, Kagome was really mad at you until Moyakari talked to her."

"Was she?" He said, and cast a grateful glance at his cousin. Shigoru nodded again. Koga sighed and smiled at Shigoru.

"Don't worry too much about him, Shigoru. This is another one of his underhanded ways to steal my leadership. I'll put an end to him before he causes too much trouble." Koga assured the pup he viewed as his own son, and ruffled his hair lovingly.

"I'm just worried about him, Alpha Koga. I don't want him to get anything he wants." Shigoru growled low in his small throat.

"I know, pup. He's a selfish brute, that Hagetsu." Koga said and Moyakari nodded in agreement.

His story told, Shigoru returned to the other pups to continue their playing, and Koga and Moyakari watched Kagome as she returned to the clearing, carrying Shippo and the both of them looking rather pleased with themselves. Koga and Kagome locked eyes again as she approached and they shared a smile that warmed both of their hearts.

**Note: I'm finally back on a working computer! I had to fight the whole way through this chapter…I haven't had nearly the recommended amount of sleep in three long nights, and my poor body protested this wooden chair the whole time, haha. Have a good time, and I'll try to update again soon!**


	10. Did You Really Just Say That!

**Did You Really Just Say That?**

Shippo looked from Koga to Kagome as they smiled at each other, and wondered what had happened between the two since they had been separated. Kagome had never smiled at Koga like that before, usually she only smiled at Inuyasha that way, but he had noticed it less and less in the past few months, actually. His eyes drifted to the wolf pup who had introduced himself as Shigoru, and figured he would have some insight on the situation.

"Mama, can I go play?" He asked. She beamed down at him, and he felt his heart swell at the sight…she really did want to be his mother.

"Sure, but don't go too far. Stay with the pups." She said, and he jumped from her arms and darted over to where the wolf pups mingled.

"Shigoru." Shippo said when he caught up to them. Shigoru glanced at the kit and flashed his fangs in a grin.

"Hi, Shippo! We were thinking about playing Tag, wanna play with us?" He said brightly. True, he was a bit jealous of the kit that got to feel Kagome's arms and scent wrapped around him, but if Shippo was her son, and he was Koga's son, and Koga and Kagome mated, they would be brothers. As this thought crossed the wolf pup's mind, he felt a warmth radiate through his little form, and decided that that was how things were going to be…even if he had to get Shippo's help.

Shippo returned the wolf's smile, but didn't agree to playing right away. He had some Kagome-related questions to ask the other youth. He shook his head and Shigoru frowned.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something. Alone?" Shippo revealed. Shigoru raised his eyebrows, and agreed. As 'Alpha' of the pups, they started their game and didn't follow Shippo and Shigoru as they headed down the hill towards the nearby stream. Once they were out of earshot, the two sat across from one another and began their conversation.

"Do you know how my mother was hurt? No one would tell me what happened to her, just that she had been hurt very badly." Shippo started. Shigoru shrugged.

"She was bleeding in several places and wearing no clothes when Alpha Koga brought her here. She also had strange scents on her, but I dunno what they were. I'm sorry, no one really explained anything to me either." Shigoru replied, and the two shared a look of mutual distaste over the rule that younglings were to be left out of all explanations.

"So Koga found her like that?" Shippo asked, to which Shigoru nodded.

"He was so angry with himself that he couldn't stop her from being hurt." He said, looking at his hands.

"Koga _has_ always liked Kagome…" Shippo said thoughtfully.

"Alpha Koga _loves_ Kagome." Shigoru stated defensively. "I think she's starting to feel the same way, too!" He added, his face brightening. Shippo looked at him skeptically.

"You think so? She's never liked him like that before. I mean, they've been friends, but she never…" Shippo began.

"Alpha Koga rescued her, and she's stayed here, and she blushes when he's near her and she never smiles so brightly at anyone but my Alpha." Shigoru explained, cutting him off.

Shippo pondered in silence. It was true that Kagome had been looking at Koga differently. Hadn't she held his hand just a bit earlier, coming down the path? Shigoru watched Shippo's face contort in thought, and decided to voice his true desire.

"Shippo…I like Kagome a lot, and I look at Alpha Koga as my father, since he took me in like he did. I want my father to be happy, especially if he can be happy with a woman I'd like to have as my mother." He stated, causing Shippo to look at him carefully.

"You want me to help you get Kagome to like Koga, huh?" He asked, and Shigoru nodded vigorously.

"You know her better than I do, after all, she'll trust you!" He said. Shippo thought again, tapping a small finger against his chin.

"If she likes him, I'll help you. I don't want to make her unhappy." Shippo said and Shigoru smiled widely.

"She does, just watch them!" He cried jumping to his feet and grasping the kit's hand. He raced the two of them up the hill back towards the clearing where the adults sat, intending to show Shippo what he could see.

**Moon Heart**

Once Kagome had let Shippo go, she turned to face Koga, who was sprawled leasurely in the grass. He smiled up at her and patted the ground next to him. Kagome giggled a bit and sat next to him.

"I never knew how good you were with kids, Koga." She said. Koga looked at her oddly.

"Kids?" He asked. Kagome laughed.

"Children, or what's the wolf demon term…oh yeah, pups." She said with mirth. Koga chuckled in understanding and ran his right hand through his ponytail.

"I love…kids, to use your word. I love teaching them, coaching them and raising them…after all, pups are the world's next greatest warriors, teachers, wise-men, or even miko." He added with a wink in her direction. Her smile died a bit at the reminder that she was without her birth-given powers…not that she could use them that well anyway. Although that didn't matter. Her powers helped define her, made her able to see and purify shards, and now, she could do neither. Koga saw the light fade in her eyes and frowned at once, ashamed of himself.

"Sorry…" He mumbled. Kagome's smile returned at the sight of Koga caring so deeply for her feelings, and patted the back of his left hand, the skin to skin contact making her fingers tingle.

"It's ok, Koga, we'll think of a way to break the curse." She consoled, causing Koga to smirk. If only he could tell her…

"I guess I'm also practicing for when I have my own pups." He blurted without thinking. He paused a moment, and lifted his eyes to hers, unable to halt the action.

Kagome laughed a bit before she felt his eyes on her. She looked into his bright blue eyes, and saw there a mix of swirling emotions, the most dominant being his still great affection for her. Her heart skipped a beat and began to race as though to make up for it.

_Why is he looking at me like this? He removed his claim, shouldn't he not feel so strongly for me anymore? _She thought. She continued to stare into the windows to his soul, windows always open for her, and to Koga's great surprise, he found he could begin to see into hers. She had always guarded her soul from his gaze, saving it for Inuyasha's eyes alone, but now perhaps she was starting to change her tune.

Koga saw her confusion over his actions, and he longed to make everything clear to her. He turned his left hand and grasped her hand as it continued to rest there. He lifted it to his lips as he'd done not even an hour ago and laid a gentle kiss on her fingers, his eyes so full of all his love and adoration never leaving hers.

"Kagome…I may have removed my claim from you…but I'm still in love with you. I always will be, and never doubt that for a single moment. If…if you ever want me to pursue you again…you just have to say the words." Koga explained in hushed tones. He saw shock enter her chocolate eyes, her face flush red and he could smell her emotions shifting wildly.

Kagome sat shock still in Koga's hold. She'd heard him claim to love her a hundred times, but it had never made her feel like this. His lips on her hands had nearly set her skin ablaze and she felt her heart might burst right from her chest if it beat any harder. She felt a strong urge to tell him to pursue her again, as long as he would look at her and touch her like this again. She felt the words crawl up her throat, but held them back.

Why? Why should I hold them back? I like him, after all, and it's not like I'm agreeing to be his mate or anything. She considered her own thoughts, and even the possibility of him chasing after her love again made her heart thrum with anticipation. What she felt romantically for Inuyasha was gone, it would be some time before they could even truly be friends again…what was stopping her?

She was surprised when nothing jumped to the forefront of her mind to answer the question. Confused, she looked for an answer, a reason not to at least allow Koga the chance to really woo her, and found nothing but her own awkward shyness. Her lack of experience in this area was the only real bar.

_But…if I never take a chance like this to gain any experience, I'll never gain anything…experience wont fall in my lap, will it? _She reasoned with herself.

At the edge of the clearing, Shippo and Shigoru had crested the hill and stumbled upon a most interesting scene. Koga and Kagome, gazing deeply into each others' eyes, Kagome's hand pressed to Koga's lips as they both seemed to wait for the other to speak. Shigoru froze, his heart racing; this was what he had been waiting for! Shippo stared at the pair, surprised and anxious; what was going to happen now?

Koga's breath was suspended in his throat as he watched the indecision flicker through Kagome's eyes. He could hear the heartbeats of the two pups nearby, smell their scents on the wind, but he didn't break his gaze and prayed she wouldn't notice them there. This was important, he could tell, and he didn't know when it would happen again if she was interrupted too soon.

Kagome swallowed her heartbeat, fought her nerves and steeled her mind. She was going to allow him to pursue her…but first she had to force the words out. With her every emotion and vital organ going haywire, speaking was like trying to swallow a grapefruit whole.

"Koga…" She began. Kami, this was hard. "I…didn't think very…romantically of you when we first met. In light of new…developments, I guess…somewhere along the line…that began to change." The more she spoke, she found the words to be easier to say. She saw the flash of hope and delight in his eyes, and it spurred her on, forcing a shy smile and blush to her face.

"I…I can't say I love you, or it would be a lie…but I can say," She cleared her throat. "I can say that I like you…and I can say that…I wouldn't mind if you pursued me again." She said. Koga froze.

"Did you really just say that?" He whispered. Kagome took a deep breath and nodded.

Koga felt his heart leap up his throat and into hi mouth. Shippo's jaw dropped and Shigoru leapt into the air with a whoop of delight at the same time as Koga did the same, grabbing Kagome around the waist to twirl her around once before crushing her to his chest.

"Oh, Kagome, you've made me the happiest wolf alive! I wont let you down, I promise to be the best mate in the whole world!" He cried in joy, nuzzling her hair with his nose, drawing in her scent.

Kagome yelped in surprise as she was drug to her feet and spun around and grunted a bit as Koga gripped her a bit too tightly, her wounds still tender. She was, however, pleased until Koga's last statement. Upon hearing it, she pushed arm's length away, her hands gripping hi arms.

"Whoa, now…I didn't say mate, I said you could pursue me." She said. Koga laughed nervously, rubbing his neck.

"Yes, I'm sorry Kagome, I'm getting a little ahead of myself." He chuckled, his grin still chiseled into his face. He had a feeling he'd never stop grinning now. She wanted him to court her!

"So…you're pursuing me…just so I know, what exactly does that entail?" Kagome asked.

"Courting, I'm courting you, is the term, and what it means is basically we like each other, but we don't know if we can mates yet. Either you don't think I'm strong enough or don't know me well enough, but for whatever reason, we're not mating yet." Koga explained. Kagome nodded.

"So mating is basically marriage, and courting is basically dating?" She asked. Koga cocked his head to the side, his confusion evident.

"Uh…I'm not sure…I've never heard those words before." He said. She giggled lightly.

"They're the human terms for courting and mating." She said.

"Then you're right." Koga said. He honestly had no idea, but if it helped ease her mind to it, he'd allow it. She giggled again, and he decided her liked the sound.

"I guess I'll have to ask Sango when I see her again." Kagome decided aloud.

Shigoru and Shippo decided to join in on the moment at last, Shigoru leading the way, and Shippo following after coming out of his shocked trance.

"Alpha Koga, I heard Kagome ask you to court her!" He cried, bouncing up and down at Koga's side.

"I heard it too, Mama," Shippo said, jumping into her arms. "You're courting Koga now, huh?" Kagome blushed furiously and slapped her forehead with her hand.

"Great, now everyone will know." She grumbled. Koga laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Kagome, The whole pack would know by dinner anyway. You know how vocal I am about my claim." He said with a wink at her. She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Yes, I'm well aware." She groaned. Koga frowned a bit.

"Did you…not want anyone to know?" He asked, deflating a bit. Kagome faltered.

"It's not that, exactly…I dunno, I guess I'm just nervous, and new to the whole 'being courted' thing." She said. Koga smirked.

"There might be some changes, but in all probability, nothing too big…except I plan to touch you all I want." He purred in an attempt to be seductive.

Kagome at once paled and whirled to face him like a bull to the matador.

"You WHAT? Did you REALLY just say that?" She yelled, half in anger and half in fear. Koga jumped back from her at once, waving his hands frantically.

"Not if you don't want me to!" He rectified loudly. "I'd never hurt you or do anything you didn't want to do, please, I didn't mean it!" He cried.

Kagome knew he was telling the truth, but she was still raw from the attack, and even a joke was too much to take on top of everything else. She turned and stalked away from him and towards the caves, fuming.

"Wait, Kagome!" Koga called out, but she cut him off.

"Follow me, and I'll change my mind about this courting thing!" She roared impressively. Koga paled and could do nothing but watch her storm away.

The once bright mood was dead and cold now as Shigoru hung his head with a sigh and Shippo jumped onto Koga's shoulder.

"Wow…you can screw up almost as bad as Inuyasha." He said. Koga wanted to argue, but the kit was right. How much more insensitive could he possibly get?

"Can…you tell her I'm sorry?" He asked. He didn't dare follow her after her threat, but Shippo could. Not that he really wanted to.

"It's ok, Koga, she'll calm down…she'll probably forgive you before she even gets to the cave." Shippo said with some certainty. Koga was unconvinced, but he let it slide. He didn't want to make it worse.

**Moon Heart**

"Why that insensitive brute! I was just raped! How dare he say something like that?" Kagome fumed aloud as she stormed towards Moyakari's cave. She dipped into the opening to find the she-wolf on her bedding, stirring as she awoke.

"Kagome?"

"Oh, Moyakari, I'm sorry…when did you get up here?" Kagome asked as she sat beside the she-wolf who was sitting up slowly.

"About the time you and Koga sat down together. I wanted a nap." She explained. "What were you snarling about just now?"

Kagome sighed and relayed the whole story to her from the moment she had left. She smiled, laughed and frowned in all the right plases, and gasped when Kagome got to the offending comment.

"Oh, Kagome, he didn't meant it like that!" Moyakari said.

"He still said it, and it hasn't even been a week! That…that's not cool…" She said. Moyakari's eyebrows furrowed.

"Cool?" She asked.

"Sorry, it's not…appropriate." She corrected, and the she-wolf nodded.

"You aren't going to refuse to court him now, though, are you? It was an honest mistake…" Moyakari reasoned. Kagome sighed, setting her chin in her hand.

"Well…no. I know what he meant, but…it's still too soon, you know?"

"I do know…and I'm sure he'll apologize over and over again." Moyakari said, causing Kagome to fight back a laugh.

"He does apologize a whole lot." Kagome chuckled. Moyakari smiled and yawned, announcing that she was returning to her napo, and Kagome moved to the cave entrance to sit overlooking the clearing.

She could see Koga, Shippo and all the wolf pups sitting in a circle. Even from here, she could see the sorrow in Koga's face. She smiled warmly…he really did care for her. She knew in her heart that he was forgiven already, but she decided to sit here a while longer, and mull over her feeling for him and her decision to let him court her again.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LONG WAIT, but writer's block is a *insert swear here*. So here is the next chapter in the Moon Heart story, and I hope it's everything you've ever wanted! =^.^= **


	11. Damsel in Distress, and A Hero's Reward

**Damsel in Distress, and A Hero's Reward**

"Why did I have to open my big mouth!" Koga yelled, slapping his forehead with his palm.

"I wouldn't worry so much, Koga." Shippo said. "At least you apologized already; when Inuyasha ever made her mad, he would never apologize, and she still forgave him." Koga looked down at the fox kit who was trying to console him.

"Is that right?" He asked. Shippo nodded.

"That's right. She'll be back soon, and she'll be fine." Shippo assured him. Shigoru watched them both as they talked, deciding they could easily be father and son in time, once his and Shippo's individual parents mated. As they sat there, Ginta and Hakkaku entered the clearing, laughing about something or other, and approached their Alpha where he sat with the pups an the kit.

"Hey Koga, Ginta and I are about to hunt down dinner, wanna come wi-Koga, are you alright?" Hakkaku started lightly, but once he caught the look on Koga's face, he sobered immediately. Koga shrugged and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I'll go with you guys, and I'll tell you what happened on the hunt." Koga said, getting to his feet. "Pups, go find Moyakari and stay with her until we get back." Koga said, and the pups agreed, following Koga's example and standing.

"What about me, Koga?" Shippo said. Koga smiled down at him.

"You're Kagome's son, right?" Koga asked, and Shippo nodded happily. "Well, Kagome is pack now, especially since I'm courting her, making you pack too. So when I say pups, I mean you too." Koga explained with a fanged grin. Shippo returned it, his small heart swelling with joy. He could easily see why Shigoru looked on Koga as a father.

_If Kagome does end up mating him, he'll be my father, too…and Shigoru will be my brother. _He thought, turning to the wolf pup. Shigoru glanced at Shippo once he noticed his eyes on him, and smiled at the fox. Shippo returned it, and decided that Shigoru was nice and fun to be around, and having him as a brother wouldn't be bad at all. But before they could be brothers, their parents had to mate.

As Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku headed for the trees, Shippo cleared his throat at Shigoru as they and the other pups started up the path to the caves.

"I'll help you, Shigoru. We'll get our parents to mate, and then we'll be brothers." Shippo stated with a smirk. Shigoru beamed at him.

"Great! Once we have some time alone, we'll start working out our plan." Shigoru replied, and the two walked side by side, each thinking of ways to push their parents closer together.

As the five younglings walked up the path, they spotted Kagome sitting calmly outside of Moyakari's cave. She smiled at them and got to her feet as they approached.

"Hey, guys…where did the adults go?" She asked. Shigoru answered first.

"They went to hunt dinner, and sent us to Moyakari so we would be supervised. Kagome, are you still mad at Alpha Koga?" He added, turning his best puppy eyes up at her.

Kagome giggled a bit at the boy who so clearly cared about Koga, and shook her head.

"I'm not that mad, but your Alpha Koga needs to think before he speaks." She said with an attempt at being stern, but the boy's cheerful nature was far too infectious. Shippo grinned up at her.

"At least he's not as bad as Inuyasha! Inuyasha never apologized to you." Shippo said.

Kagome's face fell, and Shippo regretted his words at once. Apparently, no one could so much as mention the hanyou to her without her getting upset.

"Sorry, Mama…" Shippo said quietly, rubbing his arm.

"Don't worry, Shippo, it's not that, it's just…you're right. Inuyasha would never apologize right off the bat when he messed up, and getting him to apologize at all was like pulling teeth." Kagome said thoughtfully.

"A male should always make his woman happy." Shigoru said in simple defense of his Alpha.

Kagome considered his words a moment. She had always hated how dismissive and often cruel Inuyasha could be to her, and Koga was exactly the opposite. He was always attentive, considerate, observant and caring. She smiled to herself; no wonder she liked him.

_At least I have good reason to like him, and not just 'he likes me, so I should like him'._ She thought. She had been a bit worried that she was only starting to like Koga as a sort of "replacement" for Inuyasha. This helped her see that she was starting to like him for who he was, and not because she was missing someone else.

With that, everyone came inside the cave to sit and at Kagome's persuasion, take a nap from the strain of the long morning.

**Moon Heart**

Koga, Ginta and Hakkau slipped throught the trees, searching for enough prey to sedate the entire pack of wolf demons, and as they walked, Koga confided in his friends about his most vulgar mistake.

"Wow…"

"It really happened…"

"I just can't believe it…"

"Kagome-neesan actually asked you to court her!"

"It's unbelievable!"

Ginta and Hakkaku exchanged their sentences as they spoke, and Koga snarled as he walked up to the nearest tree and bashed his forehead against it.

"You idiots! Is that really what you're concerned with? It doesn't matter if she agreed, after I made that stupid comment, she wont want to court me anymore!" Koga roared. The other two wolves glanced at each other as it dawned on them what he was talking about.

"Oh…" Ginta mumbled.

"Uh…maybe she'll forgive you?" Hakkaku said haltingly. Koga sighed heavily.

"Maybe she will…" Koga said softly. "Well, let's get back to the hunt." He shook himself a bit and led his friends out to where the boars grazed.

**Moon Heart**

Shigoru and Shippo awoke from their nap before the others and decided sleeping was a waste of a day perfect they could use for planning. They slipped from the cave and down to the clearing laughing and chasing each other. They tumbled down the hill and landed by the stream in a jumbled heap of giggling child. As they untangled themselves, Shippo spotted a field of flowers in pretty blues, purples, and reds over on the other side of the stream.

"Hey, Shigoru, we should pick Kagome flowers and tell her they came from Koga!" Shippo suggested with a snicker. Shigoru's face brightened.

"Yeah!"

The two boys crossed the stream, splashing each other and laughing the whole way and made it over to the flowers on the other side.

High above them in the cave they had just left, Kagome stirred and searched with bleary eyes for the five young demons in her care. She bolted upright with a gasp as she realized two of them were missing; her son and Shigoru.

She got to her feet and rushed out of the cave just in time to see the two tumbling down the hill and out of sight towards the stream. She raced after them, cursing the energy and disobediance of young boys.

Shippo and Shigoru had gathered large bouquets of flowers and were about to head back up the hill with their spoils when a deep growl sounded from behind them. They turned on the spot and yelled out in fear at the sigh of a massive bear demon snarling down upon them.

"RUN!" Shirogu cried.

Shippo obeyed at once and as Shigoru tried to follow him, he stumbled and hit the ground with a grunt of pain. The bear demon's huge paw jolted forward and grasped Shigoru's leg and lifted him in front of his snout. Shigoru yelled out and the sound alerted Shippo to his adoptive brother's peril. Shippo raced back towards the bear and with a mighty leap, landed on the bead demon's hand as it held Shigoru up.

"Fox Fire!" He yelled, and sent a swirl of blue-green flames right into the bear demon's face. It gave a furious roar, dropped the wolf pup and threw the fox kit. The two landed hard in the grass and at once started to scramble away as fast as they could.

As Kagome made it to the top of the hill, she heard the screams of Shigoru and Shippo, and the terrible sound of something large and nasty. Her heart raced in terror as she ran down the hill towards them, screaming out their names. The two looked up at her as they tried to get up the hill towards her.

"Mama!" They cried simultaneously. Kagome was running so completely on fear and adrenaline that didn't even register what they both had called her right away. Shippo managed to jump into her arms, and Shigoru ran to her side.

"Stay behind me boys!" She yelled, putting Shippo on the ground and pushing them behind her back.

"Mama, you don't have a bow!" Shippo wailed. Kagome swallowed her heartbeat; she knew she was as helpless as they were. It didn't matter to her, though…they were her boys, and she was going to save them...somehow. The bear snarled down on them all, and Kagome knew it had a shard of the jewel. She had seen enough demons tainted with its power to know what it looked like. Her heart sank as she was faced with proof that her powers were really gone. She saw no telltail glow, felt no pull…she had no proof that it had a shard at all. It stomped forward thrashing its heavy head with wild cries and Kagome started to back up, pushing the children back with her.

_Koga, help!_

**Moon Heart**

The trio of adult wolf demons had just killed a few giant boars when they heard the noise. It sounded like a bear, but there was something different about the cry it made. Koga narrowed his eyes and raised his nose, testing the air. Luckily, the wind changed and blew the scent of the bear right at him. He could smell an intense power he had come to associate with a jewel shard, and his heart dropped out of his chest as he caught the other scents.

_Shigoru and Shippo!_

"Hold this!" Koga yelled, tossing his catch at his friends and vanishing in a whirlwind of grass and dirt clods. As he approached, another scent found him and he ran if possible even faster. Kagome was with them, and she was as afraid as the boys were. He broke the tree line to see the wide back of the beast, its head snapping from side to side as it charged across the river. As it did, he heard the frightened cries of Shippo, his intended, and his pup.

With a wild roar, Koga leapt at the bear and sank his fangs into the beast's throat, his clawed hands tearing into its wide shoulders. The bear roared in pain and threw himself backwards to the ground in an attempt to crush Koga, but he escaped just in time, landing at its side.

"Koga!" Came Kagome's excited cry, and at the same time, the cries of two terrified boys.

"Papa!"

Koga whipped around to look at the two of them for a split second, his eyes wide.

_Did they just…? _

Before he could finish the thought however, the bear rolled to all four of his paws. Koga finished the beast off by snapping its neck. He dropped it and without abandon, rushed across the water and straight to Kagome. He grasped her face in his hands, his forehead leaning against hers, and drew in her scent to calm his erratic heartbeat.

"Are you alright?" He breathed.

"Yes, yes we're all fine…thank you, Koga…" Kagome gasped, also trying to calm down from the event. With that, he knelt before the two gasping boys. Once he was on his knee, Shigoru threw his arms around his neck, crying heavily.

"Papa, I was so scared!" He sobbed. Koga tightened his grip on the pup with one arm, and remembering what Shippo had said, held out his other arm to the kit. Shippo raced into the wolf demon's arms and he held them both against him, his eyes shut tight against the thoughts of what could have happened had he not made it in time.

Kagome stood over them all, her heart still acting up, this time from Koga's tenderness. He had never looked more in love with her than he had as he held her face so close to his own moments ago. It was at this moment when everything she had heard fell into place.

_I wanted Koga to rescue us…usually I think of…and both of the boys called me Mama…and both of them called Koga Papa! _She raised a hand to her lips. She hadn't expected Shippo to take to the wolf so soon. If Shippo saw Koga as a father, what would happen if she decided she couldn't mate him? The thought brought back the look Koga had in his eyes a minute ago, the feel of his hands on her face, how she had taken so much comfort in his closeness in that moment. She blushed again as she realized she liked Koga more than she thought, especially after his daring rescue.

Koga pulled back from the boys, looking first at Shigoru, then at Shippo.

"You two called me…Papa." He said carefully. The boys exchanged a worried glance.

"D-did you not w-want us to?" Shigoru asked, fighting his sniffles. Koga shook his head.

"No no, that's not it at all! I just didn't think you saw me that way…but I'll be your Papa if you want me to. You too, Shippo." Koga replied, grinning, causing a round of cheers and much more hugging. Kagome smiled brightly at the sight, her heart swelling with joy knowing her once orphaned son now had both a mother and a father. It was a long moment before another important matter brought her from her pleasant musings.

"I hate to break up the forming family down there, but I have a question for the small ones." She said in a commanding tone that told the boys they were in a large amount of trouble. They at once bowed their heads in submission. Koga looked at them with confusion, then up at Kagome.

"What is it, my love?" He asked. Kagome blushed again at the nickname, but shook it off. She had disciplining to do.

"All the pups of the pack and I were napping in Moyakari's cave, she was asleep too, and when I woke up these two were gone." Kagome explained. "I took off after them, and when I got to the hill, they were running from the bear." Koga at once turned angry eyes to the boys.

"You two snuck out on your own?" He growled.

"We're sorry, Papa."

"We'll never do it again, we promise!"

Koga and Kagome shared a glance and a deep smile before Koga stood.

"You're damn right you won't! Now you two know what can happen when you're all alone, right?" Koga asked, getting to his feet.

"Yes, Papa." They replied. Koga beamed at them, his heart warming as they adapted to being a family. Koga glanced over at Kagome, who met his eyes with no resistance.

"Kagome…I'm sorry about…" He began, but she interrupted him with a smile and a wave of her hand.

"You're forgiven…an incredible rescue can do wonders." She teased. Koga grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. She responded shyly by placing her hands on his waist, looking down with a deep blush in her cheeks. Koga grinned; it was a great start.

"Oh, Koga!" Kagome yelled suddenly, starting everyone. "I think there's a jewel shard in the bear! I can't see it, but I know what a demon with a shard looks like." She said.

Koga nodded and turned to search the corpse. About the time he found the shard in the bear's shoulder, Ginta and Hakkaku came panting into view, dragging along four boars. Koga apologized to his friends and took a boar from them, then they all started back up the hill to the clearing. As they walked, Kagome deliberately fell behind, Shippo noticing and doing so with her.

"What's wrong, Mama?" Shippo asked in an undertone. Kagome opened her arms to him and he took the invitation. Once she had him in her hold, she whispered into his small pointed ear.

"So you wanted Koga for a papa, huh?" She asked. Shippo flushed.

"Well, you're my mama, and you're courting him…I guess I thought it was right." He said.

Kagome smiled at him and resumed her thoughts. Everyone was sure acting like she and Koga were going to be mates. She was only courting him…there was still the possibility that she would decide that she didn't want to be with him.

_Is there? Don't be silly, Kagome, of course there is…nothing is set in stone. _She told herself.

**Moon Heart**

It wasn't long after when the pack was gathered in the clearing, half of the killed boar meat had been roasted and the rest left as it was. Everyone settled down, and Koga helped himself to some of the roasted meat, handing half of what he had taken to Kagome. She smiled and took it, but she still would not eat unless everyone else was. Koga took this opportunity to clear his throat to get everyone's attention.

"I have great news, everyone. Kagome has agreed to let me court her!" He announced much to Kagome's embarrassment. The pack clapped and cheered at the news that Koga's dark mood of late was to be lifted. Not only was he pursuing her again, she was actually allowing it. It was a huge step forward in Koga's two year long endeavor.

After the announcement, Koga told everyone that in celebration, they could eat when they pleased tonight. They took the invitation gratefully, and the whole pack began dinner at once. Kagome smiled at him as she tore off part of her meat.

"That was nice of you, Koga." She said. Koga beamed at her.

"I occasionally can be that way, Kagome." He teased, scooting closer to her until their legs were flush as they sat side by side. Kagome smiled at the contact.

_This is what he must have meant by touching me whenever he wanted. _She thought, and continued to eat.

Dinner was a quick affair that evening, and Kagome slipped down the hill to wash her hands in the stream as the rest of the pack dispersed and returned to their individual activities. She had just cleaned up and was walking back up the hill when the wolf Hagetsu cam strolling down towards her. She suppressed a shiver at the sight of the creep, but smiled politely at him as they got a few feet apart.

"Hagetsu." She greeted. He stopped in front of her, much to her consternation.

"Kagome." He said. "I'm not sure how I feel about you courting Koga." He told her. She bristled.

"I'm my own person, as you yourself so elegantly put it earlier." She stated blandly and tried to walk around him. He grasped her shoulders once he saw the movement and a slight sneer marred his face.

"I was under the impression that you did not want Koga, and I was also under the impression that I told you how I felt about you. Would you so quickly and easily refuse me like this?" He asked coldy.

"I changed my mind about Koga, and if this is how you treat a lady, I certainly don't want you!" Kagome snapped and tried to struggle from Hagetsu's iron hold on her shoulders. Th male wolf snarled and Kagome yelled out rather loudly, trying to alert Koga to her newest peril.

"Let go of me!"

Atop the hill, Koga heard the cry and was at her side in seconds, tearing Hagetsu from her with a roar as vicious as the roar he gave when attacking the bear. He wrapped Kagome up in his strong protective embrace as he growled at the other wolf, his ivory fangs flashing in the fading sunlight. Hagetsu narrowed his eyes at the pair, and turned to leave.

"Touch what's mine again and I'll gut you like a fish, Hagetsu!" Koga barked after him and tightened his grip on Kagome. Normally, Kagome would have resented such a remark, but the touch of the other wolf made her skin crawl, and Koga's arms were providing such comfort that she decided to let it slide. She'd already been mad at him today, and after two swift and heroic rescues, she was quite ready to keep him close to her.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Koga asked her, nuzzling his nose into her hair. Kagome shook her head.

"No, I'm ok…thanks for another great rescue." She said with a giggle. Koga laughed and started to walk them up the hill, one arm still around her.

"I'm courting you, my love, I have to protect you or I might never have a mate!" He said lightly. He and Kagome shared a laugh as they made it to the clearing. Kagome covered her mouth as she yawned widely.

"Today has been long and way too eventful…I think I'll go to bed early tonight, Koga." She said. Koga nodded.

"I'll walk you up to the caves so you aren't assaulted again." He said, causing the pair to laugh heartily again. The two made their way up the path and shortly after, to the cave Moyakari, and currently Kagome and Shippo lived in. It was empty at the moment as the lively pups didn't want to go to bed yet, and Moyakari was sure to be energized after her nap and a good meal. Kagome leaned against the cave entrance and sighed.

"Sleep well, dear." Koga said with a smile, and made to leave.

"Koga," Kagome said, and he turned back to her. "Why don't…you stay and chat with me awhile." Kagome suggested, sitting down against the rock opening. Koga obliged and sat opposite her, his hands on his knees.

"About what?" He asked. Kagome shrugged.

"Well…tell me about your family. I've known you two years, and still don't know about your parents, if you have brothers or sisters, anything." Kagome said.

Koga smiled deeply at her and began to talk about his family to her. Kagome replied with the barest facts about hers;leaving out the whole being-from-the-future part as she usually did when speaking to people in this era. She figured if she ended up mating him that she would probably have to tell him one day, but for now it was better left unsaid. The two sat and talked of nothing and everything in particular until the sun had fully set and the sky was alight with stars, but it was the night of the new moon, so it was nowhere to be seen. Kagome looked into the stars, knowing Inuyasha was out there somewhere, human and without her on this night for the first time since they had met.

Koga sensed the end of their talk for the night, and stood, holding out a hand to the human girl.

"It's getting late; you should probably get to bed soon." He said as she took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

"Yeah…thanks for the talk, it was a lot of fun." She said with a grin. Koga nodded in agreement.

"It was." He said.

He looked down at her. The starlight danced in her raven locks, giving it shining white streaks and her chocolate eyes were shimmering with her delight at being near him and talking with him. He was struck by her beauty yet again and he felt her hand still resting in his. He released it and slipped both his arms behind her back, pulling her tightly to his chest, his eyes never leaving hers.

Kagome stared up into his eyes, eyes that shone with light from the night and love from within. He pulled her into a hug, and her heart skipped a beat as their bodies touched again. Time and space froze as they gazed into each other's eyes, each feeling the urge to bridge the distance between them and kiss the other. They didn't notice, but they were slowly inching closer and closer as they fell further and further into the eyes of the other in their arms. Before they knew it, their noses were a hair's width apart, and two hearts beat with yet unmatched intensity.

"Kagome…" Koga whispered through their trance.

"Koga." She replied just as softly. His eyes darted to her lips, slightly parted and tempting him with promises of the best kiss he'd ever know in his lifetime. He swallowed and decided he would make the first move, and if she denied him, he knew he would have to take things even more slowly than he already was.

Kagome saw his eyes break their gaze from hers and move slightly lower on her face, and she knew what he was thinking. He was going to kiss her. She saw him moving slowly towards her, she knew it was coming and had all the time in the world to stop it if she so chose. She didn't.

Koga gently pressed his lips to hers for the first time and felt their soft smoothness under his own. He added more pressure to it and claimed her mouth with his. Kagome reciprocated, her small wet tongue darting out to brush Koga's lower lip as her kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and held him to her as their tongues teased each other hesitantly. Koga pulled back an inch for breath, his lungs drained of air.

"Wow…" He gasped. Kagome could do nothing but giggle in response. "You need rest." He whispered and back slowly from her. She let him go, her muscles not working as well as usual. Koga took a few steps back, flashed his fangs at her and turned to float alone to his own cave, high above the others. Kagome drifted to the straw and fur bedding and collapsed onto it with a contented sigh. The kiss she had just experienced was the best feeling she had every known in her short life.

…_I think I can keep courting him for now._ She decided, and rolled over onto her side, slipping promptly into the realm of her dreams.

**Such a fluffy chapter! XD I hope you guys enjoyed this one, it'll only get better from here (or so I hope). See you next time!**


	12. The Hunt Begins Anew

**The Hunt Begins Anew**

****I am soooooooo sorry about the terribly long wait between the last chapter and this one, but life hit me pretty hard with the force of a mac truck, so I've had to get back on my feet and had no time to write. L But hey, here's the next installment, and Maybe I can pound out another in a much better time frame. Hope it was worth the wait!****

Kagome managed to sleep through the night, but her dreams were still rather troubling. They started with a hanyou's vicious attack, and ended with daring wolf demon rescues mingled in. When she finally awoke in the morning, she found Shippo curled at her side, and Moyakari asleep on her back a few feet away. Kagome sat up and stretched…she was still a bit tired, but the sun was already in the air, the symbol that the pack's breakfast time was at hand. She grasped her she-wolf friend's shoulder and shook her lightly.

"Moyakari, it's time for breakfast." She said and Moyakari opened cloudy unfocused eyes.

"Mm, thanks Kagome. How did you sleep? I saw you tossing and turning, but you didn't wake up screaming. That's a plus." She told her with a light laugh. Kagome smiled in return.

"I had bad dreams, but there were some good parts mixed in." She turned and woke up Shippo and after they had stretched and yawned sufficiently, the trio started walking down the mountain to the clearing for breakfast. Shippo tugged on Kagome's shoulder fur as he sat in her arms and whispered something into her ear. She giggled, and decided with a blush that it was a good idea. She turned on her heel and started walking the other direction, towards Koga's cave.

Koga was roused from a pleasant dream by a hyperactive pup shaking him by the shoulders and calling out that it was time for breakfast. Koga growled softly; his dream involved Kagome and himself, but no clothes or pups nearby to speak of, and he was rather reluctant to leave the pleasing visions just yet. Unfortunately, as Shigoru had woken him up already, the sights and sounds were gone, replaced by chirping birds and the sounds of the rousing pack in the caves around him.

"Alright, Alright, I'm up, Shigoru." Koga got to his feet unsteadily and stumbled for the cave opening. As he started down the path, he glanced up to see Kagome walking towards him with Shippo in her arms and a sweet smile on her face. Koga swallowed hard, visions of his dream returning, and he willed his body not to react.

Shippo jumped from Kagome's arms to land near Shigoru and the two youths ran down the path a ways but stayed in sight of their parents, giving them a moment of relative privacy. Koga smiled down at Kagome.

"How did you sleep, Kagome?" He asked and his voice carried a warmth that betrayed that nature of his thoughts. Kagome scuffed the ground with her feet shyly.

"I slept all night, which is a good thing. My dreams are still troubling, but no where near as much." She told him with a smile and a light blush. "What about you?"

"I had great dreams, and they were all about you." He stated and she laughed a bit. "Shall we go down the path now?" He asked and she nodded.

They walked after the children in silence for a little while, Koga dying to take hold of her hand as they walked. He reasoned with himself; they were courting, why not? He debated his options quickly and decided he had to try something, anything, to keep their relationship progressing.

"Kagome…would you mind if I…held your hand?" He asked softly, fighting his nerves. Kagome bit her lip nervously as she thought about his question. Why not? He had asked so politely, after all. Unable to speak, she nodded, her face going pink again.

Koga grinned brightly, and slipped his hand around hers, their fingers interlacing as they walked. He suppressed a shiver at the sensation and squeezed it lightly, beaming down at her. She flashed him a shy grin, and forced herself to look where they were walking. He loved the way their hands fit together, and how she'd give him a squeeze once in a while as they walked, and he'd run his thumb lightly over her hand in response. Kagome's thoughts wandered from the wolf demon at her side to the whole reason she was in the past in the first place. The jewel shards that she was no longer spending her time looking for.

She wondered if there was a way to break the curse on her…if there wasn't, what would happen to the shards? She shuddered; she knew what would happen. Naraku would swoop down on her wherever she was, take her remaining shard and complete the jewel for himself. She hardened her resolve. Even if she couldn't see or sense the jewel shards, she'd had to at least make an attempt to find them. She'd just need a powerful helper, someone willing to face untold danger and countless demons at her side for Kami knows how long. She glanced up at Koga as they walked, and he smirked down at her after sensing her eyes on him. Perhaps she'd ask him later.

The Alpha pair and their pup and kit made it down to the clearing for breakfast after a time, and Kagome could feel Hagetsu's eyes on her the whole time. It made her skin want to crawl right off her bones, but she kept near Koga, and his presence seemed to soothe her. The more Kagome thought about getting out and hunting for the jewel shards, the more she liked the idea. It would get her away from Hagetsu's stare, and she could bond with Koga. She assumed he'd bring Ginta and Hakakku, but she was alright with that.

Koga watched Hagetsu watch Kagome, wanting to tear the rival wolf's eyes from his skull for it. Kagome was HIS intended, no one else's, and she was at last accepting it. He'd worked too long and too hard to have anyone steal her away from him again. He had to speed things up somehow without rushing her. He had to get her to love him as he loved her, then her curse would be lifted. Not only that, but she would love him. He smiled at the thought, and out of a fleeting stab of bravery, slipped an arm around her waist. She blushed lightly, but didn't move from him, making his smile all the brighter.

It was then that Kagome finally noticed a very familiar sensation on the edge of her senses. It was almost like the tug of jewel shards, but the feeling was so weak, she normally would have said that the shards she felt were miles away from her position. She knew the shards were right at her side, and although the feeling was weak, she could still feel shards again. She barely contained her excitement as she grasped Koga's arm tightly and pulled a pointed ear to her lips.

"Koga, it's weak, but I can begin to feel shards again! I can sense the two in your legs, the curse is weakening!" She whispered excitedly.

Koga was quite surprised when Kagome pulled him in close, thinking for a wild moment that she was going to kiss him right in front of everyone, but the news of her senses beginning to return was almost as good.

"That's great, Kagome!" He told her with a fanged grin.

"I think we should go out searching for some of the shards, Koga." She said softly to him. Koga's eyebrows knitted in his slight confusion.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Even if I'm not _as_ useful now, I feel like I have to try and find them. Leaving them all out there for Naraku to find just isn't a good idea. Besides, you're strong, you can help me." She said, beaming with her confidence in his strength. Seeing and hearing her praise of his power made his ego swell with pride, and he decided they would go. After breakfast, he'd just have to settle all of his affairs in preparation for the trip.

****Moon Heart****

It was about an hour after breakfast when Kagome stood on the edge of the clearing in her clothes of wolf fur, anxious to get to shard hunting again. Koga strolled towards her where she stood fidgeting, followed by Moyakari and what Kagome viewed as their children, a thought that made her blush again. Koga stopped before her and flashed her a grin.

"Is everything ready?" She asked. Koga nodded.

"I've placed my Beta in charge while we're gone, set Moyakari as the watch over Shippo and Shigoru, and given out all of the appropriate instructions." He told her, his chest puffed out a bit.

"Mama, why can't we go with you?" Shippo whined at once.

"Please Papa, we'll be good!" Shigoru added, so as not to be left out.

"Oh, boys, it's gonna be really dangerous, you know that, Shippo. Now that there's only me and Koga, we might not be able to protect you all the time."

"I can fight!" Shigoru cried up at them. Koga raised an eyebrow.

"Just like you fought the bear?" He asked, and Shigoru lowered his head. Koga chuckled and knelt before the boys.

"It's not that we don't think you're brave, but you're too young to go off on a quest like this…tell you what, I'll take you both hunting for the pack's next meal when we get back, alright?" He told them, and they agreed excitedly to his set terms. Shippo jumped up into Kagome's arms and hugged her.

"We'll miss you." He said. Kagome held him tightly, unable to stop the smile at how sweet all this was.

"You boys be good." She said.

"Don't harass your aunt." Koga ordered, getting to his feet. "Shall we?" He asked Kagome, who nodded. Koga lifted her bridal style and took off in a whirlwind of dust down the worn mountain path and towards the trees.

****Moon Heart****

Ojiisan sat at the top of his mountain, watching Koga and Kagome speed away from the den, a chuckle deep in his old chest. It appeared things were going rather well for the young wolf and human girl, all apart from the poor dear's curse. But even that, he knew, was a very temporary thing. The first time this curse was used, it was impossible for the cursed miko to break, as her heart belonged to her daiyoukai mate, and the moon's heart only had eyes for her elder sister. This time, however, such factors were not in play, and the love that would break the curse was forming as he sat there contemplating it.

He hauled himself to his feet with many groans, and external complaints of his age. There were other factors in play as well, factors that could never have been thought of. Ojiisan had looked into the miko who had cursed Kagome in the first place, and discovered that she was undead, a clay and gravesoil body motivated by hate, a sliver of Kagome's soul, and many stolen souls of human girls. Ojiisan knew the miko who had cast the curse had to bind her life force to the spell in order to have the power required to halt another miko's abilities. Being undead, she had no true life force to bind to her curse, meaning the curse should be weakening of its own accord. Ojiisan smiled again, knowing how Koga felt about Kagome, glad that she was finally starting to come around, and limped back into his cave.

****Moon Heart****

Inuyasha sat alone in the God Tree, staring down at the well that was the doorway between his time and Kagome's, though not really seeing it. Yesterday, he had seen her for the first time after what he'd done, and ran away. Last night was the first new moon night since she passed through the well that he'd ever spent without her. It was long, cold and lonely considering he'd spent it alone; the others still hadn't caught up to him yet. He knew, however, that even if the others were there, he'd have been just as alone.

He'd spent the whole night awake, unable to relax enough to sleep although he was exhausted from all the running he'd been doing, and all the tears he'd been fighting. Now he sat there in his tree, staring into space. The dawn had brought with it a different sensation for the hanyou. He felt as though his insides had been removed, like his whole torso was hollow, but there was no pain. In fact, he felt nothing at all. He thought about how he used to feel for Kikyo, and felt nothing. He thought about what Kagome meant to him, how much he'd loved her, and how much he'd hurt her…and felt _nothing_. In a way, it was a relief, a comfort knowing he'd never have to feel pain again. In another way, he knew such things as love and happiness were gone forever from him, too. Would it be worth it?

_Love and happiness were lost long before this numbness touched me. I lost the only two I've ever loved when I hurt them, and thanks to me, they feel nothing for me now…this emptiness isn't taking anything from me. _He told himself, and embraced the numbness he felt.

Thanks to the cold empty chest he now had, his mind was clear, allowing him to think on matters he hadn't thought of in days. The others still had Kagome's big yellow bag, and her shards. Naraku still had his shards, perhaps had even found more. Inuyasha hadn't found any lately, and that was a problem. Now that he could function painlessly, he knew he had to keep searching for the shards left out there, lest Naraku find them. It would be much slower work without Kagome, but he and the friends he didn't deserve would manage. Speaking of friends he didn't deserve, he could hear them approaching on Kirara through the sky. They landed near the well, and Inuyasha jumped from the tree, walking over towards them.

"There you are, Inuyasha, we've been looking for you all night." Miroku said.

"You didn't need to, I don't deserve to have any friends after what I've done." He told them tonelessly. "But if you're gonna stick around anyway, like the stubborn fools you are, we should get back to hunting down the shards."

Miroku and Sango stared at each other. Inuyasha sounded broken; no, more than broken…dead. He even looked it. His eyes held no light, no life, his voice held no emotion, no personality. Their brash foul mouthed hanyou friend was damaged beyond repair, a thought that hurt them both more than they thought it would. They nodded solemnly at him, and they took to the air again, no words passing between them. After all, it was Kagome and Shippo that had always done most of the talking.


	13. To Run With The Wolf

_****To Run With The Wolf****_

****NOTE: I finally pounded out another chapter, lol. I decided to do a flufy, full Kagome-Koga chapter just because I felt like it. I liked writing it a lot, and I hope you enjoy reading it a lot! :) ****

Koga and Kagome had not gotten very far when Koga stopped and sat her down on a rock and knelt at her feet. Kagome waited, shocked and blushing lightly at his actions. He smiled up at her as he calmed his breathing.

"Kagome...are you sure you really wanna do this...with me, I mean?" Koga asked her. Kagome frowned, confused.

"What do you mean, Koga?" She asked. Koga rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well, it's just that...shard hunting was yours-and-mutt-face's thing, not mine, and if you're uncomfortable-" Koga began, but Kagome placed a finger on his lips to silence him. Koga blinked in surprise as she smiled down at him.

"Koga, I'm perfectly fine with hunting shards with you. I can't so much as go near Inuyasha, and I have to find more of the shards before Naraku does." Kagome explained. Koga nodded, smiling at her.

"Alright, Kagome, as long as you're really OK with this. I'll carry you, and when you sense a jewel shard, point me in the right direction. Now, I can run for days, but since you're human you don't have the stamina I do, so whenever you need me to stop for the night or whatever reason, just tell me." Koga explained brightly. Kagome nodded, unsure.

"I'll do what I can, Koga, but I can hardly sense the two in your legs, and they're right next to me." Kagome said glumly. Koga shrugged in his typical gracefully careless fashion.

"It's alright, Kagome, I can occasionally catch a whiff of one. With both of us looking, we're certain to find at least one." He told her, standing and offering her a hand.

Kagome felt her heart swell as she looked up at him. He was certainly handsome, he'd always been good-looking even when she was enamored with Inuyasha, but it was her feelings for him that made her blind to Koga and everything he was and wasn't. Koga was brave, devoted to her, kind, sweet, affectionate, and always optimistic. She thought briefly at what Inuyasha would be saying to her in this situation, and she knew he'd be shouting at her about being cursed, not that it was her fault. He'd call her useless, whine about having to look for shards twice as hard without her powers to help him, and he certainly wouldn't be smiling at her like this, offering to help her stand. Koga could be hot tempered, but he would never neglect her, insult her, or belittle her out of his own anger. He'd never take a bad day out on her, rather the sight of her would warm him to his core, and he'd cuddle her lovingly until his foul mood vanished. Kagome grinned at Koga, and took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She fell against his chest deliberately, a trick she'd used on Inuyasha a few times to see what would happen. Usually, he'd blush and push her away, telling her to work on her balance. Koga caught her as she stumbled against him, his hands on her upper arms.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Koga asked her, concerned for her, but glad to have her body flush against his. Kagome slipped her arms around Koga's waist and beamed up at him.

"I'm fine, Koga...just stood up too fast, I think." She said. Koga blushed faintly as soon as she hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her back, holding her tightly to him. Listening to his instincts, he dipped down and brushed his lips against Kagome's in a swift kiss. Kagome was too shocked at the action to pull away, and he let him kiss her where they stood wrapped up in each others' embrace. He pulled away and grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with his great love for her. Kagome smiled shyly and blushed a deep red, causing Koga to chuckle warmly.

"You're so cute when you blush, Kagome." He told her, nuzzling her nose with his own. She giggled madly and swatted him away.

"We have to be going now, Koga." She told him, laughing. "How are you going to carry me?"

"However you'd like." Koga told her, and Kagome thought for a few moments. Rising on his back would probably remind her painfully of Inuyasha, but it was much better than being carried bridal style or thrown over his shoulder, and it probably be the most comfortable position for him, too.

"I'll ride on your back, it's the simplest way." She said, and Koga knelt at once. Kagome blushed lightly, seeing the gesture as one of submission more than anything else. Koga had meant it as such; even as Alpha, he was glad to bow before his mate, the female who completed his heart, the only woman he'd ever really loved, and the one he'd love til the end of his days. Kagome climbed onto his back, and once she was secure, he took off at top speed through the forest, thinking to himself about how good her body felt against his. He gripped her legs carefully so as not to cut or bruise her, and loved the feeling of her soft silky legs in his hands. He loved the way her breasts pressed against his back and how her arms hung around his shoulders, and he really wished he could feel her hands on his chest...but his breastplate was in the way.

Kagome watched the scenery flash by as Koga blazed through the trees, her senses fanned out as far as she could reach, which wasn't far. Kagome put her hands on Koga's fur-covered shoulders, her fingers slipping beneath the patches of fur to touch his skin, sending shivers up her back. Koga purred at her gentle touch, sending vibrations through his body and through hers as well due to their close contact. Koga had never been more distracted in his life; having Kagome on his back as he ran, her scent coating him from head to toe, wafting in and out of his nose, calling to his beast in a way that was threatening to drive him mad. Koga was rather in touch with his beast and the two didn't argue with each other very much, or even need to converse with each other all that much, either. So Koga was pretty shocked to hear his beast grow angry and begin to yell at him.

_Stop what you're doing and claim our mate! _His beast howled viciously.

_Are you an idiot? We're on a mission right now-_

_Mission be damned; smell her, she wants us, claim her! _

_She's been hurt, remember? She's still healing, besides, her feelings for us aren't that strong yet, give it a rest, I'm doing everything I can! _Koga shouted at his beast in his head. For the moment, he was cowed and silent, and Koga did his best to sniff out any jewel shards while trying not to be aroused beyond belief, thanks to Kagome. Just as he thought of finding the shards, he thought he might have scented one on the wind as it whipped by. He slowed and stopped as carefully as he could with Kagome on his back. Kagome shifted as he stopped, causing Koga to bite his lip to keep from groaning aloud. Damn it, she felt good!

"What's the matter, Koga?" Kagome asked. Koga lifted his nose and took a test sniff of the air. There was no mistaking it; he could smell the jewel's power wafting towards them.

"I smell a shard. Hang on tight, Kagome!" He told her and took off again at top speeds in a new direction, loving the way Kagome clung tightly to his body. Kami, did he wish she was clutching him like this while he lay above her and drove himself into her over and over again...he wanted to make her cry out his name in ecstasy, he wanted to touch her all over her soft supple form, and most of all, he wanted her to want him as badly as he wanted her. His body was reacting to his thoughts, and he was quickly getting dizzy from all the blood rushing away from his brain. He had to distract himself somehow.

"Hey, Kagome...how much of the jewel is still out there?" Koga asked. Kagome pondered this a few long moments.

"Well, last time we saw how much of the jewel Naraku had, he had over half of it. There's about a quarter of it in my backpack, and you have two." Kagome explained slowly, thinking hard.

"Three. We took one from that bear yesterday. Meaning there isn't a whole lot left out there; that's encouraging." Koga said brightly, a grin splitting his face. Kagome smiled at his words, surprisingly glad that he was so optimistic. Traveling with Inuyasha could be rather emotionally tiring at times; Inuyasha was kind of a downer, and quite a complainer. If he wasn't complaining, he was silent and brooding about most likely Kikyo, and his silence usually effected everyone else around him in rather a negative manner. She hated that the most...doing everything she could to get him to talk to her or feel better, and getting nothing but his legendary attitude for it.

Koga ran with Kagome on his back for hours, chasing after the scent of the jewel shard until he noticed the sun was setting and Kagome was yawning widely. He slowed his run, looking around for a safe place to stay for the night. After some looking, he found a small dry cave in the side of a steep rock wall. He stopped in front of it, and dropped to one knee, a thin sheet of sweat on his forehead but otherwise in fine shape; not even out of breath. Kagome climbed to the ground and stretched out, yawning again.

"I think we can keep going, Koga." She said, glancing at him. He shook his head.

"Nope. It's getting dark, and you're tired, Kagome. I can tell by the yawning." He told her, poking his tongue out at her playfully. She smiled and blushed, rubbing her neck shyly. Koga looked her over, dressed in fur the color of his clan, blushing and smiling for him...Kami, he loved her.

"Alright, Kagome, you stay here nice and safe in that cave, and I'll be back with dinner in a matter of no time." Koga said, his hands on his hips, grinning at her. Kagome sat at the mouth of the cave, nodding at him.

"OK, Koga, I'll wait here. I'll yell if I need you." She said a bit playfully. Koga laughed.

"I'll be at your side right away. You do seem to attract a lot of trouble." He chortled and took off into the forest to hunt. Kagome sighed, stretching out her stiff limbs and back, cursing the fact that she didn't have her big yellow backpack with her. She had matches, food, her book and shards and several other things in there she'd kill for right now. She decided to try and be helpful and try to start a fire anyway. She gathered several fallen logs and kindling around their campsite and piled it up near the mouth of the cave. She grabbed a few twigs and tried to start a fire the old fashioned way with friction, but she just couldn't get it to do much more than smoke. Determined, she kept at it for quite some time, long enough for Koga to return with a few rabbits for dinner.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find anything bigger, but I found these guys first, and I'm starving." Koga explained as he approached Kagome trying furiously to light a fire. Her hand slipped, and she cursed in sheer frustration. Koga chuckled and sat beside her.

"Not so good at this, are you?" He teased. She glared at him. Koga grinned and gently took the twigs from her, having quite a bit of practice lighting fires this way. He rubbed the twigs together with demonic speed and force, the wood sparking to life, and he set the small flames in the pile of wood and kindling. He poked and prodded it, coaxing the flames to grow higher and eat up more of the wood. As he did, he looked over at Kagome and smiled warmly.

"I really appreciate you trying to help by starting a fire, Kagome, it's very sweet of you." He told her, and she blushed for him again, giggling happily.

"Well, I don't want to be useless." She told him. Koga beamed at her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side.

"That's why I chose you. You're everything I'll ever need in my life." He told her, the truth shining clearly in his sparkling sky blue eyes. Kagome felt his words touch her heart, warming her from head to toe and making her heart pound with happiness. It was the feeling she used to get when Inuyasha did or said something thoughtful. But he had squandered those feelings while she had them, taking her feelings for granted...taking _her _for granted until it was far too late to repair the damage. Now Koga, the handsome charming wolf demon who sat beside her was the subject of her affections. She knew he wouldn't squander her feelings for him; she knew he'd reciprocate whatever love she had to give him.

_Love? _She thought. _No way, it's way too early...I can't love him. _

Koga had skinned and skewered the rabbits, setting them over the fire to roast. It wasn't long before they could eat their small dinner. The rabbits were a bit scrawny, but they filled her stomach well enough, and the two sat in comfortable silence watching the stars glitter above them for a while. Kagome sighed contentedly, smiling up at the heavens, wondering if what she felt for Koga would continue growing they way it already had been. She shivered as a col breeze drifted by, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms. She rubbed her arms, shivering again.

"Are you cold, Kagome?" Koga asked, looking over at her. She nodded, still rubbing the goosebumps off her arms. Koga wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist, pulled her into his lap, and hugged her around her arms and torso, keeping her close to his warm body. Kagome shivered again at the contact, loving the feel of being in his arms and she leaned her head on his shoulder, her face a breath from his exposed throat.

"Better?" He asked, and his words rumbled through her chest due to their proximity. Kagome decided she loved that feeling, too.

"Yes, much...thank you, Koga." She said, and out of a sudden stab of bravery, kissed his neck before nestling into his grasp. Koga growled deep in his chest, Kagome's body vibrating with it.

"That felt great, Kagome...you can do that all you want." He told her, his voice a deep sensual rumble. Kagome giggled and held him around the middle. Koga sighed deeply.

"I love you, Kagome. I really do...you have no idea how glad I am that I can do this. Just hold you in my arms while we watch the stars." He said, nuzzling her lightly. Kagome grinned despite herself.

"I'm glad I gave you this chance, Koga. I've never felt more safe, secure, and loved than I do right now, with you." She replied, turning her face a bit to look up at him. He looked down at her, their noses touching, and her rubbed his nose against hers again.

"I'll always make you feel this way, Kagome, I promise." He vowed and laid his lips against hers again. A hand lifted from her to tangle in her long midnight hair and pull her deeper into the kiss. Kagome moaned softly into his mouth, and Koga nearly felt his heart drop right out of his chest. Their kiss deepened further, turning into a heavy make-out session that lasted five or six endless minutes. Koga was dying to pin her beneath him, touch her all over as he stripped her fur off, and mate with her right there under that stars in the trees..but he restrained himself. His hands merely cupped her face, sifted through her hair, or ran up and down her sides. Her hands did all the same things, and it was the best thing Koga had ever felt in his long life. Finally, and much to his regret, he pulled back from the kiss to look down at her face.

She was flushed, her eyes heavy lidded, and the scent of her arousal mixing with his own in the crisp cool night air was perhaps the most perfect scent ever created. Koga's face looked rather like Kagome's, not that Koga could see it, but she could, and she rather enjoyed the sight of someone wanting her so deeply. After dealing with Inuyasha hiding his every emotion he might have felt for her, it was a more than welcome relief to see Koga's heart etched into his face for the whole world to see. They smiled big goofy affectionate grins at each other and Koga licked the tip of her nose suddenly. Kagome squeaked and rubbed her nose with her hand, glaring playfully at him.

"We should get some sleep, Kagome." Koga said. "You go into the cave, and I'll put out this fire." Kagome nodded and stood, Koga missing her presence at once. She slipped into the cave, and Koga stomped the fire out, scuffing the burnt wood all over to ensure no embers were left to burn. He ducked into the cave to see Kagome curled on her side, already peacefully asleep. He didn't need any sleep quite yet, and he could smell a few demons nearby, so he decided to stand guard over his beloved woman all night. He sat at the mouth of the cave, looking at the stars and keeping his nose and ears peeled for anything that could be lurking in the darkness wanting to take is Kagome away from him. He'd finally gotten her away from Mutt-face and into his arms...no one would ever separate him from her. He would die before anyone took his future mate from him.


	14. Medley

_****Medley****_

Kagome slept through the night, her dreams untroubled, and awoke the next morning to find Koga nowhere in sight. She sat up, propping herself up with one hand and rubbing her eyes with the other, groaning.

"Koga?" She called his name. He didn't answer her. She sat up, worried, and walked to the mouth of the cave and searched the clearing. She could see the remains of the fire they'd made last night, the remains of the rabbits they'd eaten, but no wolf demon anywhere. Her heart began to race in a terribly unpleasant way.

_Where is he? _She thought to herself, still searching for him. _He didn't...abandon me, did he? _

"Koga?" She yelled out, her emotions beginning to run higher and higher. The silence that followed her outcry was disturbed by the rustling of trees and underbrush, and she spotted a figure making her way towards her through the woods.

"I'm here, Kagome...sorry to worry you." Koga said, stepping from the trees to Kagome's loud gasp. His arms and face were coated in blood, his eye was black and swollen, and he carried a bow and a quiver of arrows and he tried his best not to limp in front of her. Kagome rushed to his side, relieved to see him alive, but shocked at his wounded state. What had happened?

"Oh Koga, what happened to you?" She cried as he set the bow and arrows down and lowered himself onto a rock with a grunt of pain.

"About an hour ago, I picked up the scent of humans...humans with a jewel shard." He said, and pulled it from his fur to place it in her hands. "I got it from them, but not before they used it to fight me. This blood is mostly theirs, I think my ankle's broken, but I'll be alright." He told her, rotating a shoulder until it popped.

"Are you sure you'll be OK?" She asked, crouching at his side. He looked at her, grinning roguishly.

"I'm a demon, love. I'll be right as rain in no time." He said confidently, and Kagome gave him a soft smile. She remembered Inuyasha always brushing her off when she asked about his injuries in such a rude and angry manner. When Koga told her he was alright, however, he did it in a way that made her feel as though her simply inquiry had made him feel better.

"I was so worried when I couldn't find you..." She started, but couldn't voice her fears to him. Koga raised a hand to cup her face, but lowered it again, remembering it was drenched in blood.

"I'll never leave you, Kagome. Never. Oh, I brought those for you, by the way." He said, pointing to the bow and arrows he'd drug back with him. She walked over to them and tested the bow's strength and the looked over some of the arrows.

"This will do fine." She said brightly. "But I think you need a bath." She stated with a chuckle. He laughed and nodded.

"There's a hot springs right around here, I'll go soak to get this blood off and to give my ankle time to heal, then I'll go catch us some breakfast, OK?" He told her, getting to his feet unsteadily.

"Do you need me to help you walk to the spring?" Kagome asked. Koga scoffed, and Kagome was suddenly reminded of the boyish braggart that had kidnapped her.

"I'll be fine!" He said, took a step onto his wounded leg and fell flat on his face with another groan of pain. "Alright, maybe I'll take a hand." Koga said as he lifted an arm up, his voice muffled by the ground. Kagome giggled and pulled Koga carefully to his feet, drew one of his arms over her shoulders, and helped him limp the quarter mile to the hot springs. Once they made it there, she helped lower him to the grassy ground.

"Thanks for your help. Sorry I didn't catch any breakfast for us earlier, Kagome, I was going to until I scented those humans." Koga said, pushing the warmers off his legs gingerly. Kagome shrugged.

"It's OK, I'm not really hungry yet. I'll let you know as soon as I get hungry, though." She told him, smiling brightly. Koga grinned back at her, untying the breastplate and letting it fall around him. Kagome stared at the dark flesh of his bare chest, unmarked by scars and rippling with muscle. Kagome swallowed hard, and turned around at once.

"Did you have to start stripping with me still here?" She asked. Behind her, Koga slipped the warmers off his arms and loosened his mostly decorative katana. He silently hopped to his feet, his face twisting in pain, but he was standing right behind her in nothing but his waist fur. He remained silent, waiting for her to lose patience and either ask again, or turn around.

As he predicted, after a moment she gave an exasperated sigh and spun around, her mouth open to reiterate. Koga took the opportunity he'd so nicely planned, and kissed her once she was facing him before she had time to utter a word. His tongue dove into her mouth and he almost grabbed her to hold her close to him...but he was still sticky with drying blood. He didn't want to get it on her.

Kagome moaned softly at his surprise attack, and wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping him close. Koga growled softly into her mouth, deepening his kiss as much as possible. After a moment, he pulled away...he really hated the scent of the human blood all over him, and balancing on his uninjured ankle was getting harder the longer he stood there.

"I have to wash up now, my love." He said, rubbing his nose against hers. She giggled again and batted him away gently. Koga loved the little giggle he got from rubbing noses with her, and made a note to do it as often as he could. He limped towards the water, his waist fur wrap sliding from his form as he walked. Kagome was torn between looking and not looking, but in the end she turned away, blushing furiously. She did see enough to make a discovery, however.

"I didn't know that that was actually your tail, Koga." Kagome managed to say through her embarrassment. She heard Koga sinking into the water and laughing behind her.

"It certainly is, Kagome." He said as he sighed contentedly due to the water. "If you're uncomfortable, you ca go back to camp and wait for me. I promise I'll be healed when I come back." He told her brightly, scrubbing the blood from his hands.

"Or you could join me." He added, mostly joking. Kagome smiled to herself, and as she did she felt dried blood around her mouth and on her nose. She touched her face and realized that she had gotten the blood from the kiss with Koga. After so long in the Feudal Era, blood didn't effect her as strongly anymore, but she still didn't like it on her face. She decided to warn Koga before turning around.

"Koga, I'm turning around, stay under the water." She told him, and turned to face him. He was against the far edge of the hot spring, his arms along the edge, looking rather handsome in his pose. He chuckled in a dark and husky manner.

"Did you decided to join me, Kagome?" He asked in a rather deep, sexual tone, and Kagome found out that she really loved the way her name sounded in that voice of his. She blushed furiously, and had to remember why she had turned around in the first place. She caught his eyes and was stopped dead by the intensity of his gaze. It rooted her to the spot and made her insides catch fire in a way she'd never felt before. She was rather tempted to join him, but she shook that thought from her mind and decided to tease the wolf a little bit.

She smirked lightly, and walked towards the edge of the hot springs with an extra sway in her step, loving the way his eyes light up, and his fang peeked out of the corner of his mouth as he grinned. Nearly at the edge of the water, she lowered herself to her knees, and then her hands, putting her kneeling partly over the water. The way Koga was looking at her had her heart racing in her chest, her arms and legs trembling with the adrenaline pumping through her blood.

Koga's heart was likewise racing, after recovering from freezing at the sight of Kagome's swaying hips. She was the queen of desire at that moment, and Koga had never loved her more in his life. By the time she was bent over the hot spring, his length was at complete attention, and he'd draped his arms in his lap to try and hide it from her.

"I just have to wash my face." Kagome replied sweetly, and dipped a hand in the water to clean her face of the blood. Once she began her task, Koga bit back a growl of irritation. He was so close to finally seeing her naked (and conscious), and she denied him! Deciding to punish her for her teasing, he slowly stood and moved towards her as silently as he could.

Koga was standing right before her again, and Kagome looked up just in time to find herself inches from his face for the second time in as many minutes. Just as she was about to cry out in surprise, Koga completed his surprise attack by kissing her all over again. He lifted a dripping hand from the water and ran it through her hair to keep her close.

Kagome sighed softly, deciding she loved the way Koga kissed her as many times as he wanted without shame. Inuyasha would never have done such a thing, no matter how comfortable with her he felt, and she knew it now. Koga made what might be routine into sweet little surprises, and each one was more passionate and open than the last. She was lost far too deeply in Koga's kiss to feel his arms wrap around her back.

Koga, elated that she was responding to all of his advances, decided to show her just how deep his playful nature ran. He lifted his arms from the water to wrap around Kagome's back. In the same moment, he threw himself backwards into the water, taking Kagome with him with an ear-piercing scream that the loud splash was able to silence. He released her at once so she could resurface for air, and stood up in the water laughing.

Kagome didn't realize what exactly had happened until she was submerged in steaming mineral water. She came up for air as fast as she could, gasping as she surfaced. Beside her, Koga surfaced, laughing at her. She glared at him, and he silenced himself, worried he'd gone too far, but she surprised him by splashing water up into his face. He retaliated, and the hot spring splash fight began, both of them laughing as often as they could draw breath.

Koga quickly decided that splashing was getting him nowhere, so he bolted forward through the water and grabbed her tightly to his chest, kissing her again. Her hands were trapped against his chest, and she blushed again as she felt a very excited part of Koga pressing against her lower belly. Koga could feel her stiffen up at once, and he released her, stepping back.

"I'm sorry, Kagome, I didn't mean..." He began, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Kagome giggled lightly.

"It's alright, Koga...but I outta get back to camp and dry off." She said. Koga nodded. She climbed out of the water, Koga loving the way she bent over at the waist to do it.

"Alright, I'll see you soon." She told him as she walked away. Koga sat back in the water once she was out of eyesight. He shivered, loving the scent of her arousal lingering on the air. He had never been happier before in his life, and he knew it was all thanks to Kagome accepting his advances at last. An unpleasant cold chill raced down his spine at the thought that next occurred to him.

_If Inuyasha hadn't raped Kagome, I'd never had the chance with her that I have now. _He hated what that implied, hated that he might "owe" Inuyasha for anything...but in truth he did.

"Well, that killed my mood." He said aloud, and flexed his ankle. It was healed and working fine. He touched his face to find the back eye also healed. He sighed and hauled himself out of the water to dry off and dress.

**MOON HEART**

Ginta and Hakakku struggled to haul a huge side of deer meat up the hill towards the den together in the early morning light. It seemed they had been on breakfast duty a lot lately, not that they minded. They'd much rather catch the pack's meals than follow Koga's cyclone around as he tailed after Kagome and her friends on their jewel adventure.

"I wonder how Koga and Kagome-neesan are doing on their hunt." Ginta said aloud, thinking of them.

"Probably better than our hunt." Hakakku huffed, rolling his eyes.

After some work, they made it to the clearing and dropped off the meat they'd caught for breakfast. The pack Beta left in charge in Koga's absence, Goshu, headed over to them, Shigoru and Shippo at his heels.

"Good work, fellas! Take a rest and have a drink, I'll cut this up." He told them, and they graciously fell onto their backs, catching their breath. Goshu chuckled and pulled the meat a few feet from where the other two wolves rested and began to carve it up for the rest of the pack.

"Can we help, Beta Goshu?" Shigoru asked, and Shippo nodded enthusiastically. Goshu laughed and ruffled Shippo's red hair playfully.

"You'd best go play, little ones...honestly, you're more like brothers then many of the pack." He told them cheerfully. They grinned at him, and tore off towards the hill Ginta and Hakakku had just climbed up. Goshu hummed listlessly, his claws cutting through the meat without any resistance. He was so engrossed in his task that he didn't hear the approach of another wolf, who came to stand at his right side.

Goshu glanced up, and the last thing the young wolf demon saw were claws racing towards his face. Shippo almost gasped, and Shigoru clapped a hand over his mouth before dragging them both down to the ground. He released the kit and crawled up the hill slowly to peek out over the crest of the hill to see what was going on, Shippo following him silently. They saw the kind Goshu writhing on the ground and began to shake in fear of Hagetsu...how could he strike down his pack brother in cold blood?

Ginta and Hakakku sat up, alert at once as the sound of a blood filled cry echoed through the clearing. They whipped around just in time to see Hagetsu striking down Goshu with a vicious slash of claws at his throat. Ginta and Hakakku jumped up and raced to their Beta's side as he thrashed and struggled to breath through his shredded throat. Hagetsu snarled at the two approaching wolves, his bloody hand in their faces as he did.

"Good...witnesses. You'll be able to tell the pack all about the fair fight for rulership that took place here this morning." He told them, growling and flexing his blood-soaked fingers. The two wolves swallowed hard and glanced down at their Beta, who rasped one last time before falling limp to the grass and the pools of blood around him.

"Right?" Hagetsu roared at them.

"Yeah, yeah...right."

"No problem, Hagetsu..."

"That's Beta, now...and once Koga gets back and I kill him, it'll be Alpha Hagetsu!" He growled at them ferociously.

"You can't kill Koga!" They yelled together.

"I can and I will, you spineless bastards! Once I do, I'll claim that woman of his, and get rid of those younglings he dragged into our pack." He retorted heatedly before flicking his bloody hand and strolling away from Ginta and Hakakku.

"Get our breakfast ready, boys, and take care of Goshu over there."

After Hagetsu left the clearing, Shippo and Shigoru got to their feet slowly, looking at each other. There was no way they could let Hagetsu see them now, not that they knew he planned to kill them. He might not even wait to kill Koga first if he found them. They had to do something...they walked to the sides of Ginta and Hakakku. The two older wolves glanced down at them, forgetting they had been there the whole time.

"Ginta...Hakakku...what are we going to do?" Shigoru asked.

"Hagetsu is going to kill us!" Shippo cried. The two older wolves knelt at once to console the two youths.

"Don't worry, boys, we wont let Hagetsu hurt you." Hakakku said.

"Yeah, we'll have to hide you two until Koga gets back. He'll put Hagetsu in his place!" Ginta snarled, pounding his palm with a fist.

"Hide us?" The two boys answered together.

"Yes. We know of a cave near here where we used to hide from Koga when we messed something up. I'll lead you there and stand guard a few hours, then Ginta will come take my place. We'll pull a few more wolves into the rotation, too-" Hakakku began.

"So Hagetsu doesn't get suspicious." Ginta finished, nodding. Shippo and Shigoru looked at each other a moment.

"Won't he put it together in time? We're gone, and wolves are sneaking off for some unknown task?" Shigoru said.

"Probably, but Koga said he'd be back in a few days. We'll see if we can't get a message to him to return sooner. Don't worry about a thing' we'll protect you with our lives." Ginta replied, to which Hakakku nodded in agreement.

The boys looked a bit eased, and Hakakku started to lead them back down the hill and towards the cave of which he spoke.

**MOON HEART**

Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha were riding through the sky on Kirara's wide back, flying far and away from the battles they had just finished. Sango and Miroku were winded and a bit worn from the battle, but Inuyasha was in bad shape. With his new hollow chest, Inuyasha threw himself into battle even more recklessly than before, not caring about any injury he sustained, not feeling the pain of any strike.

The two humans looked at each other gravely over Inuyasha's prone form as he lay silent, still, and unconscious. They had never seen him behave with such hopeless abandon. They had no idea what they could do to help their hanyou friend, other than get Kagome to forgive him. Inuyasha, unfortunately, would still probably never forgive himself for what he'd done. To him, the shards' influence over him should have been no excuse to hurt Kagome, and yet he had.

Inuyasha tossed his head from side to side, grunting softly in his sleep. He was having a nightmare again...he thought the pain was dead in him, but he could feel it. He stood in a black clearing in his human form, the stars his only light, and his heart was pounding in his once empty chest. He grasped his chest, screaming out in agony as he fell to his knees. Wounds from nowhere split his torso over and over, spilling his blood to the ground...the filthy blood of a hanyou not worthy of life.

_No...the pain was dead...why is it back? I was so happy...not feeling..._ Inuyasha thought, gritting his human teeth in pain.

Suddenly a light flashed from far away, and he looked up at it, raising an arm to shield his eyes from it. He stared painfully into the light as it grew brighter and closer. Out of the light, he could make out a shape it is came closer still. Soon the light died down to a gentle glow, a glow that surrounded his Kagome, standing above him and smiling that heart melting smile of hers.

_Kagome?...No...you have to... _

"Get away from me...Kagome...go..." Inuyasha gasped through his pain. Kagome knelt, bringing her warm glow to rest on his twisted face. She raised her hands to cup his face and he tried to shrink back from her, but she held him fast.

"Inuyasha...you're tearing yourself up, and it's killing me to see it." She told him.

"K-killing...you?" Inuyasha gasped, looking up at her. She was smiling, but she had tears in her eyes. He had hurt her again. He hung his head. "I'm so sorry." He whimpered.

"I know you're sorry, Inuyasha...it wasn't your fault. You have to live and get better, you have to survive and get over this mistake." She told him, holding his head up to stare into his chocolate human eyes.

"I'll never...forgive myself..." He whispered, tears falling from his eyes.

"But you must...we need you to defeat Naraku, and I need you because you're my best friend...I miss my best friend, Inuyasha." Kagome responded. Inuyasha stared into her beautiful face with disbelief. Was she really forgiving him? He hadn't heard her say it, but she was implying it...he had to know.

"Kagome...say you forgive me." He said softly.

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but a gust of wind blew by them, tearing spots of Kagome away on the wind as thought she was merely a pile of leaves. Inuyasha grasped frantically for her, screaming out that he needed to hear her say it, but she disintegrated on the wind.

Inuyasha snapped awake. He was on Kirara's back, they were flying away, he'd gotten a jewel shard, and his wounds knocked him out cold. Sango and Miroku stared down at him.

"What?" He asked them.

"...Are you OK, Inuyasha?" Sango asked.

"You were screaming for Kagome to forgive you in your sleep." Miroku said.

Inuyasha blinked and remembered his dream. He could see it vividly in his mind's eye, and it felt more real to him than any memory in his head. Could she really forgive him? Was that what the dream was trying to tell him?

"I think I should see her." Inuyasha said. "I think she wants me to apologize." He whispered. The humans glanced at each other warily.

"Really?" Sango asked with disbelief. Inuyasha nodded his head, grimacing in pain. "Kirara...turn around and take us to Kagome, please." He said, and the cat's sharp ears heard him perfectly. Kirara banked to the left and Inuyasha grasped his stomach in a wave of nausea. Miroku nodded and rubbed his chin wisely.

"Inuyasha seems certain he wants to see Kagome; perhaps Kagome is prepared to see him too." He said. Sango still looked uneasy, but she kept quiet. She did miss Kagome, after all.

**MOON HEART**

Kikyo walked her path through the woods, her soul collectors following silently along after her. She was deliberately staying as far away from Naraku's castle as she could. She could feel the spell she cast upon her reincarnation weakening by the moment, and she did not want to have to explain to Naraku that she had no idea what to do to strengthen the spell.

She had read and re-read the scroll she had found that contained the spell, looking for any other clue than the one she had. She was growing more and more frustrated with her lack of answers. She didn't know what the Moon's Heart was or how it was linked to her spell in the first place. So for now, she avoided Naraku and the inevitable explanation as long as she could.

**MOON HEART**

Kagome was sitting in the heart of the cave, trying her best to dry the fur waist wrap. She had almost dried the warmers on her arms and legs, and she still had to wring out her under cloth and dry the shoulder patches. She heard a sound outside the cave, and heard Koga call out her name.

"I'm in here Koga, give me a sec!" She called out and quickly stood and wrapped her lower body in the damp fur. She walked outside to see Koga holding up more rabbits for them to roast.

"I got breakfast." He said with a smile. She glared at him.

"Yeah, and you soaked me in the hot spring; There is nothing worse than the smell of wet fur!" She yelled out, stomping her foot in frustration. Koga laughed heartily at her as he set the rabbits down.

"Don't worry, Kagome, we're heading back to the den today anyway. You won't be in wet fur for long." He reassured her. She walked over and sat next to him as he started to skin the rabbits.

"Why are we going back so soon?" She asked. Koga smiled at her.

"We found two shards in twenty-four hours, I think that's a pretty good thing. We should head back to the den for a little break, and new clothes, obviously." He told her. Kagome thought a moment, and nodded. She wasn't used to it, but she decided she liked the idea of a break. The straw and fur bedding in the den caves were much more comfortable than the cold ground. Koga soon after started a fire and set breakfast to cook.

"Since we're getting such a late start this morning, we probably wont make it back to the den tonight, but I can try if you want." Koga told her over the cooking meat. Kagome looked at him and smiled. It felt so right to be here with him; he was so sweet and considerate, always looking out for her wants and needs.

"You don't have to push yourself too hard, Koga...although it would be nice to sleep on the furs again." She added, laughing lightly. Koga grinned at her brightly.

"Alright, Kagome, we'll sleep in the furs tonight I promise." He told her. Kagome chuckled nervously.

"I never said I wanted to sleep with you in your bed, Koga." She said teasingly. Koga hung his head and snapped his fingers in disappointment, causing Kagome to giggle at him again.

They ate their breakfast in relative silence and then they put out the fire to get ready to leave. Koga caught her eye and smiled at her a second. She beamed back at him just before he walked up to her and planted a quick wet kiss on her lips. She blushed and grinned at him before he knelt and let her climb onto his back. He took off once she was secure, and ran at top speeds to get her back to his den by the time night fell.

**MOON HEART**

Shippo and Shigoru sat side by side silently in the cave Hakakku had lead them to. The older wolf was sitting at the mouth of the cave, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that could cause the boys any trouble.

Shigoru frowned to himself. He was tired of being run from his home. Twice now he had been rejected and thrown from a pack. He knew it had nothing to do with the pack this time, thought. It was all Hagetsu's fault, and his fault only. Once Koga got back and saw what the rival wolf had done, he knew Hagetsu would finally be put to an end once and for all. Only then could he have his home back. He belonged here, with Koga, with Kagome, and with Shippo.

Shigoru glanced over at the snoozing fox at his side. They had discovered that Shigoru was the older of the two boys, but not even by a century. He looked at Shippo as is little brother now, and that was how it was going to stay.

Hakakku stretched and yawned widely just before he heard a rustling in the trees and spotted Ginta walking towards the cave. Hakakku got up to leave and got a good look at his friend to see him bleeding in several places.

"Ginta, what happened?" Hakakku cried, startling the boys alert. They raced out together to see what was going on just as Ginta sat down outside the cave where Hakakku just was.

"Hagetsu has the whole pack training against each other. He says he wants the whole mountain under his rule, so we have to attack the other tribes once we're "ready" for it." Ginta said, groaning in pain. He was already healing, but it still really hurt. Hakakku and the boys stared at him.

"Tha-that's insane. He's crazy!" Hakakku yelled.

"Koga will stop him! He'll come back and kill that bastard!" Shigoru snarled.

"You really think so, Shigoru?" Shippo asked Shigoru, who looked down at him and nodded enthusiastically.

"I know so, Shippo...our Papa is a powerful demon; he won't let Hagetsu get the better of him!" He said. Ginta and Hakakku smiled and nodded at each other, glad that the boys had so much faith in their Alpha. Hakakku swallowed hard and started off towards the pack o suffer under Hagetsu's strange and violent new rule. Ginta nursed his injuries as he sat outside the cave, and Shippo and Shigoru headed back into the cave to sit alone again. Shippo snuggled into his older brother again, letting his eyes drift closed as her heard his brother speak softly above him.

"I hope Papa gets back home soon..."


	15. Mountain Celebration

_****Mountain Celebration****_

Koga ran through the trees with Kagome on his back throughout most of the day, trying his best to reach his den by nightfall. It seemed Kagome was just as eager to get there as she didn't ask him to stop as often as she had on the trip out. As Koga raced towards his home, he began to have a nasty feeling of dread. He furrowed his brow as he jumped over a boulder.

_Why do I feel like this? Why should I dread going home? The only time I ever dreaded going to the den was when the Birds of Paradise were at the peak of their power._ He thought to himself. Something was wrong, and he hated having no idea what it was. He lifted his nose to the wind and took a sniff, wondering if anything strange, like Naraku, might turn up. He didn't smell Naraku or Inuyasha, the other hanyou he hated, but he faintly picked up the scent of wolf blood.

He knew he was too far away to catch the scent of a small amount, meaning the bloodshed had to be great if he could smell it from here. He felt cold inside at once, and redoubled his efforts to get home, his feeling of dread growing with every step.

Kagome seemed to almost sense when Koga began to feel strangely, but before she could ask him what was going on, she felt him pick up his speed and lean farther into his run. She put her lips against his ear, feeling a warm shiver shoot down his spine.

"Koga, what's wrong?" She asked. Koga grinned to himself, despite his worries. Kagome was getting to know him more and more. She could already tell that something was wrong, just through his actions. It made him feel as though she wanted to love him, a thought that warmed his heart.

"How did you know something was wrong?" He tested her, smirking. Kagome shrugged against him.

"I'm not sure...I just felt the change in you, and then you started to run even faster than before, so I thought something was wrong." She told him, her fingers moving through the fur on his shoulders. Koga grinned to himself as he continued running.

"It seems you're getting better at reading me, Kagome." Koga told her, leaping over a river to land heavily on the other side. Kagome giggled lightly.

"I guess so, Koga." She said, blushing. His hands on her thighs tightened a bit, bringing her attention to the placement of his hands. His hands were rough and calloused from the work of his life, but his grip was gentle and high on her thighs, causing her blush to remain. She kept her head down, his scent filling her nose in a way it hadn't before. He smelled wonderful; masculine and rather like an approaching thunderstorm, and Kagome wasn't quite sure what Inuyasha ever complained about.

At the thought of Inuyasha, Kagome realized that her heart no longer throbbed in pain, merely in longing. She missed Inuyasha's gruff overprotective nature...even though she no longer loved him, she realized she still cared deeply for him. He was her best friend, after all, and she missed him. Kagome smiled lightly; she finally felt like she had healed at last. She could forgive him for what he did to her. She searched her heart and realized that that wasn't the only realization looming on her horizon. Her heart started to race as she considered her feelings towards the wolf demon carrying her. What was that she was feeling for him?

Koga loved the feeling of her body against his and almost slowed down in order to lengthen the trip home. Coupled with his growing dread, stalling seemed like a good idea; but he had promised Kagome they would sleep at the den tonight. He kept running and felt Kagome's heart rate pick up. She didn't say anything aloud, so it must have been something she was thinking about rather than something she could sense, like a threat.

"Kagome...do you sense something?" He asked her. Kagome snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of his deep melodic voice.

"No, Koga, I'm fine. Let's just get back h-to the caves, alright?" She said. She bit her lip, hoping he didn't catch her slip. She had almost told him to take her home, but her home wasn't at Koga's den of caves with his wolves, and two little ones she'd adopted as her own...

Right?

**_**MOON HEART**_**

Moyakari sat outside the hidden cave where Kagome's kit Shippo and Koga's pup Shigoru slumbered together in the dying sunlight. Ginta and Hakakku had told her all about what they saw Hagetsu do that morning, and she had volunteered at once to help protect the pups. As she was a female and not a warrior, she and all the other females of the pack had been reduced to mere servants, fetching food, water, and whatever else any male of the pack could think of, and bringing it to them under the threat of punishment. They were also there to treat any wounds the males received in their rigorous 'training'.

_Training my hind end; Hagetsu just wants bloodshed anywhere he can get it!_ She thought viciously. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled lightly at the slumbering youths. They looked so happy and complete together; now all they needed was a set of parents who were just as happy and complete with each other to take care of them. Moyakari knew how much Kagome had come to admire Koga...it was possible that she loved him already. Kagome was stubborn, though, it might take her much longer to actually admit it to herself, let alone anyone else.

She could tell, however, that Kagome was falling for her cousin, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. She smiled to herself. She really liked Kagome, and would love to have her as their true Alpha Female. A yelp of pain from what sounded like somewhere far above her broke her from her thoughts of Kagome. She sighed; Hagetsu was pushing the pack against each other as much as he could in order to "strengthen" them for their impending attacks on neighboring demon tribes. She got to her feet and began to pace back and forth outside the cave.

She had to get Koga to come back and deal with this unforeseen issue, but if she howled for him, Hagetsu and the entire pack would know. About then she felt the wind begin to change, and her hopes brightened. The wind had been blowing away from the mountains and into the direction Koga and Kagome had headed off in. It was a slim chance, but the chance was there that Koga could have picked up the scent of so much spilled wolf blood, and decided to return and investigate. Now the wind was blowing in the opposite direction, which might unfortunately bring the scent of the boys up the mountain to Hagetsu. Moyakari bit her lip again before she caught the scent of Koga and Kagome on the wind. She sighed in slight relief; they were heading back home. By the scent of it, they would return in an hour tops. She slipped into the cave and gently shook the boys awake.

"Boys, come outside, there's something you'll want to smell." She told them, helping them climb sleepily to their feet.

They walked outside the cave into the light breeze that carried the good news upon it, and instructed the boys to scent what they could from the wind. They lifted their noses and did as they were instructed, taking only moments to pinpoint the scents they'd found.

"It's Mama and Papa!" Shippo cried, jumping up and down.

"They're coming back!" Shigoru yelled, scooping his brother up in a hug. Moyakari shushed the two.

"Be quiet, that beast Hagetsu might hear you. Go back inside and wait; your parents will be here soon."

**_**MOON HEART**_**

It was well into sunset when Koga finally re-entered his territory, the trees around him thinning out as they approached the base of the mountain. Koga had begun running blindly not too long ago, his mind focused entirely on thoughts of Kagome and her slender frame pressed against him. The scent of his territory, and for some reason his cousin woke him from his heated fantasies like a slap in the face.

"I wonder what Moyakari is doing out here?" Koga asked himself aloud. Kagome, who had dozed off on his back, jumped awake at the sound of his voice.

"What did you s-say, Ko-oga?" She managed to say through a yawn. Koga slowed his steps at last, kneeling so Kagome could step down off of his back.

"My cousin is out here, at the bottom of the mountain, and I don't know why." Koga said thoughtfully, slipping through the trees. Kagome quickly caught up with him, her hands instinctively grabbing onto Koga's forearm. Koga smirked when she touched him; she was only growing closer to loving him, which made him the happiest demon alive.

Koga and Kagome slipped silently through the trees towards the mountain, coming across a cave he recognized as the hiding place of his two lifelong friends. He chuckled aloud, remembering numerous occasions when he had to hunt those two boneheads down in this cave. He rounded the side of the cave to find the cave entrance, Moyakari siting against the rock, her head down.

"Moyakari, what are you doing out here?" Koga asked, startling his cousin awake. Moyakari looked up at Koga and Kagome, her face betraying her absolute joy and relief to see them back home, and she scrambled to her feet at once.

"Boys! Boys, wake up! They're back!" She called into the cave as she stood, and she rushed forward to grab onto Koga's shoulders.

"Koga, you've got to do something, he plans to destroy us all!" She blurted out in her sudden adrenaline rush. Koga nearly stumbled back from her; it was rare for her to be so hysterical, and it usually meant something pretty serious.

"What the hell is going on?" Koga asked at once, his shock evident in his tone and face. Kagome was likewise dumbfounded, wondering more on the question of why the boys were hiding in a cave under the mountain. Moyakari quickly caught her breath and opened her mouth to speak just as Shippo and Shigoru came charging out of the cave, crying out in happiness for their mother and father. Moyakari stepped back to let the boys jump into their parents' arms and cling tightly to them.

"Beta Goshu was killed this morning...by Hagetsu." Moyakari started darkly. "Ginta and Hakakku saw him sneak up on Goshu and tear out his throat before he could even cry out. He forced them to keep quite, so the whole pack thinks it was a fair fight. Ginta and Hakakku decided to hide Shigoru and Shippo at once, since everyone knows his stance on any creature that wasn't born into the pack. We've been waiting with bated breath for your return, Alpha, it's up to you to set this right." She concluded, and Koga had the meanest look on his face that Kagome had ever seen. He knelt and set Shigoru down on the ground, who looked up at him.

"Hagetsu has challenged my authority for the last damn time. I'll show him what happens when he messes with what's mine!" Koga snarled, his eyes flashing an even brighter blue, and he spun around to face the mountain, storming off towards the path up to the pack. Kagome rushed after him.

"Koga, are you going to kill him?" She asked, almost horrified. Koga nodded without looking at her.

"I have to, Kagome. He challenged my authority as Alpha male." Koga explained like it would make sense to her.

"But...but can't you...?" Kagome began, thinking on several other options he could take, but Koga halted her thoughts at once by stopping dead. He faced her and grasped her shoulders, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Kagome. I'm a wolf demon, and nearly everyone on this mountain is a wolf demon. I am Alpha, and I'm in charge; my word is law here. If I don't defend that with iron fists, I'll be killed by someone who will. That's the way of things, and that's how and why the pack thrives. I know you're human, and you do things differently, but if you're going to be my mate, you're going to have to understand that there is no other option. I have to take his life. I have to do it for the pack, for our pups, and most of all, for you." He told her seriously. It was one of the most somber and careful tones she had ever heard Koga use.

She lowered her eyes, thinking hard about what he had told her. She knew he was right, and she was going to have to recognize that this was a necessary responsibility of his rulership. She glanced back up at him.

"So if anyone challenges you, you have to kill them, or they kill you and take your place?" She clarified. He nodded, and she felt a rather cold chill race down her spine.

"You could die with one misstep, or if someone's faster or better than you..." She muttered, afraid for him. He cupped her face in both his hands.

"It's a risk attached to the crown. I wouldn't worry about anyone else in this generation challenging me, Kagome, everyone respects me as Alpha...all but Hagetsu, obviously." He added. "But he won't be around much longer." He said, and started walking up the path again. Kagome stayed still a few moments, worried about losing Koga to some challenger. If she was his mate, what would happen to her? Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't feel the two small hands tugging on her ear and her free left hand.

"Mama? If it makes you feel better, he deserves to die, he's evil, just like Naraku." Shippo, still in her arms, told her. Shigoru, tugging on her hand, also spoke up.

"He was gonna throw us from the mountain, or worse, kill us if he found us, Mama!" Shigoru likewise told her.

Kagome looked at the two little boys who called her their mother, and turned to watch Koga's retreating back with a sigh. She should have known nothing would be that simple. There had to be a reason not to mate Koga. It would break her heart to lose him...but as she watched him walking possibly to his death, she knew mating him wouldn't change that fact that she would be lost without hm, his mate or not. She was surprised that she already felt so strongly for the wolf. When did that happen? When did her friend and ally become the object of her deepest desires?

Her deepest desires? Did she...?

Shigoru's insistent tugging at her hand shook her from her thoughts again. She couldn't see Koga anymore, so she rushed off up the path to follow him, Shippo still in her arms and Shigoru following her closely. She caught up with him, and he gave her a kind smile over his shoulder.

"For one wild minute, I thought you changed your mind." He said. She walked up to his side and he slipped an arm around her waist. She smiled up at him.

"I don't know when it happened, but I'd rather spend half a lifetime with you and lose you to a challenger than a whole lifetime without you out of fear for my heart." She told him, a bright red blush lighting up her cheeks. Koga's eyes softened and he smiled softly at her.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever told me, and it means the most coming for you, Kagome." He said, his eyes shimmering as he looked down on the woman he loved. Shippo grinned over Kagome's shoulder at Shigoru, who gave his adopted kitsune brother a thumbs up and a fanged grin.

Koga had never been so touched in his life, and to finally having Kagome begin to feel for him what he felt for her was the greatest experience he'd ever had. He thought for a moment about whisking Kagome off to his cave...but then he remembered his duty. He had someone to take care of.

Koga lead Kagome and his two young into the clearing where Hagetsu had the pack fighting each other ruthlessly in the pursuit of strength for inevitable battle over the mountain's surrounding territories. He could see Hagetsu strutting through the fighting pairs, barking commands as he paraded himself around as high-and-mightily as he could.

"Hey, Hagetsu!" Koga roared out, causing the pack to stop and turn to the sound of his voice. At once, the wolves and wolf demons began to hoot, bark, cheer and howl out in pleasure at the return of their Alpha. Hagetsu narrowed his green eyes at Koga.

"Ah, Koga. You're back. Time to deal with the real problem." He said, facing Koga and cracking his neck. Koga waved a hand to the side, causing the pack to encircle the Alpha and Beta wolf demons.

"You've challenged me for the last time. I'm going to send you where you belong." Koga snarled, flexing his claws. Hagetsu scoffed and jumped from foot to foot to circulate his blood in preparation.

"You've got it all wrong; I'm gonna tear you apart, and once you're out of the picture, I'll claim Kagome as mine." Hagetsu retorted heatedly, advancing on Koga.

Koga's eyes flashed with anger; Hagetsu had some nerve. Although it was well within his rights to claim Kagome if he won, Hagetsu wasn't interested in Kagome for her, and that was what set Koga off. He was only after her to spite him. There was no way he was going to leave Kagome to that fate.

With the thought of protecting Kagome at the forefront of his mind, Koga rushed Hagetsu, his clawed hand raised high to strike, but Hagetsu ducked under the swipe and jumped backwards, gaining some ground to compose his attack. Koga continued to advance on him, throwing another clawed strike at the opposing wolf. Hagetsu leaned back to avoid it, and Koga threw another strike, catching Hagetsu on his exposed side. He stumbled back as the pack barked and howled in the excitement of the bloodshed, encircling the two combatants.

Kagome didn't join the circle of cheering wolves, instead hanging back and hanging tightly onto Shippo still in her arms. Shigoru had not remained at his mother's side, instead charging to the most inner ring of the circle to watch his father battle the wicked challenger wolf. Shippo was torn between going to watch and comforting Kagome, who was fidgeting nervously. She didn't want the fight to happen in the first place, but she knew there was no other choice. Koga had to defend his title or die. Moyakari slipped out of the ring of spectators to stand at her side.

"Kagome...I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you've got to be present for this." The she-wolf said nervously. Kagome looked up at her sharply.

"I'm standing right here, isn't that enough?" She snapped. She didn't want to see why the pack had suddenly groaned unhappily within the midst of the cheering, knowing Koga was probably spilling blood. Moyakari thought a moment, shuffling her weight from foot to foot.

"I suppose." She finally said. Moyakari remained at Kagome's side after that instead of returning to the yelling crowd.

"What if he loses?" Kagome whispered, knowing her wolf demon friend would hear her. Moyakari shook her head.

"He won't, Kagome. Hagetsu was never a great fighter like Koga. Plus, with the whole pack watching, he wouldn't dare cheat." She told the human girl confidently. Kagome felt a little eased, but that feeling went away when the ring broke open to allow Koga to fall onto his back with a wolfish cry of pain. She rushed forward at once to the fallen wolf's side, dropping to her knees.

"Koga, are you alright?" She cried, and upon looking at him, she felt tears spring to her eyes. He had slashes from the other wolf's claws all over his bare torso. He must have dropped his chest plate some time ago to make the fight a fair one, as Hagetsu wore no armor. Koga sat up with a grunt and grinned lopsidedly at Kagome.

"I'm just fine, sweetheart." He told her, hauling himself to his feet. He glared over her shoulder at Hagetsu and moved around her to continue his fight, much to the joy of the rest of the pack.

As Kagome turned to watch him return to the center of the ring of wolves, she got a look at Hagetsu, and felt much better about the battle. The opposing wolf looked much worse than Koga did. Koga rushed forward and tackled the weary looking Hagetsu to the ground.

"This is for Goshu, for Shippo and Shigoru, and for my Kagome!" Koga snarled, raising a hand to deliver the final strike to the defeated wolf. At the thought of Kagome watching however, Koga decided to make Hagetsu's death less bloody, and settled for strangling the wolf to death. Once Hagetsu's struggles ceased, the pack exploded into uproarious cheers, howls and triumphant cries in their Alpha's victory. Koga got to his feet and the pack rushed forward to shake his hand or pat him on the back. Moyakari stayed at Kagome's side, clapping and glancing at the human girl to make sure she was alright. Her eyes were still downcast and she shuffled shyly on her feet. Shippo finally jumped from her arms at the bidding of Shigoru to go congratulate Koga.

"Kagome? Are you gonna be alright?" Moyakari asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kagome gave her a brilliant but fake smile.

"I'll be alright. He had to do it." She said. Moyakari nodded.

"He did." She replied.

It was then that Koga broke through the circle of wolves and made his way towards Kagome and Moyakari. The oldest of his wounds were already beginning to close. He smiled down at them, and Kagome managed to give him a weak smile in return. Koga sighed unhappily.

"I'm sorry Kagome, but it's-"

"The way of things. I know." She cut him off.

"I wish I could do something to make you feel better about this whole thing." He told her.

"I'll get over it, I've seen plenty of death being around Inuyasha." Kagome said. In truth, it wasn't the killing that bothered her; it was the fact that it was Koga doing it. She had come to view him as such a sweet and caring guy, and to see him do what he had unnerved her a bit. She knew she'd have to see more of it, thought. He was a wolf demon, and an Alpha. It was his duty, after all.

"I...I'd better clean up." Koga said awkwardly, and slipped past Kagome towards the river down the hill. The pack at once moved to clear Hagetsu's body from the makeshift battle field. Moyakari glanced over at Kagome again as Shigoru and Shippo both ran back to her side.

"Mama? Are you alright?" Shippo asked. Kagome crouched and scooped the little fox up in her arms.

"I'll be alright, Shippo." She told him, hugging him tightly. Shigoru hung his head lightly; Kagome had never hugged him before, and he was feeling rather left out. Shippo spotted the look on his brother's face, and jumped down from Kagome's grasp.

"Mama...can I...?" Shigoru started shyly, and Kagome suddenly felt awful for never treating the wolf pup the same as Shippo, even though it wasn't something she had done deliberately.

"Oh Shigoru, of course you can have a hug, I'm sorry! I'm just so used to hugging Shippo." She apologized and gathered him up in her arms at once. Shigoru hugged her around her neck, grinning widely, his little tail wagging.

"Why don't you boys go play? I'd like a word with Kagome." Moyakari said to the boys, who both nodded and ran off together to find the other pups to play with. Kagome glanced at Moyakari as she got to her feet.

"What did you wanna talk to me about?" She asked. The she wolf glanced in the direction that Koga had gone off in, then returned her gaze to the human girl.

"I wanted to ask how things went with Koga." She asked, smiling brightly. Kagome's face lit up at once.

"It was wonderful, we found two shards in two days, and we didn't argue at all! I think I'm starting to really care about him..." She said hesitantly. In truth, she was feeling much more than that, but she was too shy to tell her. Moyakari smirked devilishly at her.

"Is that right?" She asked teasingly. Kagome couldn't fight the blush that crept into her cheeks. Moyakari giggled lightly.

"I wouldn't fight your feelings or hold anything back, Kagome. Koga deserves to know what you feel for him." Moyakari advised. Kagome rubbed her chin, thinking about all the advice the wolf girl had given her, and about her feelings for Koga. It was all sound advice, to be sure, advice she hadn't quite followed until perhaps this moment. Should she just go tell Koga how she felt? How did she feel, anyway? What was the extent of her feelings for the wolf? She decided to search her soul tonight and find out, if she could, how she really felt for him.

It was soon after the battle that the sun was fully set in the west, bringing nightfall down upon the mountain. The wolves had built a massive bonfire and had begun to sing and dance in celebration of their Alpha's victory over Hagetsu. The pups ran around the fire, laughing and playing with each other and occasionally tackling their parents. Kagome sat on a log watching the fire burn and the wolves sing and dance, sipping water from a clay bowl. Most of the other wolves were drinking sake instead of water, making them more rambunctious by the hour. Kagome had changed into a new set of furs for the celebration, and so far she had yet to see where Koga had run off to. Moyakari was dancing with a young wolf Kagome had discovered she was courting, her boys were playing with the pups, tossing twigs and leaves into the fire just to watch them burn, and Ginta and Hakakku were swaying drunkenly on the other side of the bonfire, laughing with each other about something or other.

Kagome watched the pack's celebration with a smile on her face and a light heart. She hadn't been on the mountain long, but she couldn't help how at home she felt here. She missed her friends to be sure, but she loved her life here with the wolf demon pack. She had yet to experience all life on the mountain; the only chore she had really done was watch the pups...and yet she knew there were many many other tasks and chores to preform on the mountain, and she was actually rather eager to find out what they were and to help out around the pack.

As these thoughts passed through Kagome's mind, she realized the root of these thoughts was the desire to remain on the mountain. With Koga. As he passed through her mind, she glanced up to see him mingling with several of his pack brothers, shaking hands and laughing with them with an easy smile on his face. She felt her heart jump at the very sight of him, felt a blush creep into her face at the sight of his dazzling smile, and felt an odd heat form in her abdomen at the thought of how he kissed her and held the way he did. Experimentally, she thought of Inuyasha, and all the little things he had done that made her fall in love with him, just to see how those things effected her now. She felt no jump in her heart, no blush in her cheeks, and no heat in her belly. She furrowed her brow as she contemplated what this meant, and she felt her heart race painfully fast at the thought that her love for the hanyou hadn't vanished...it had shifted targets.

She felt her face pale at the thought, her hands began to shake, and her heart continued to race in her chest at top speeds at the realization. She'd never loved anyone outside her family other than Inuyasha, and she had never even admitted it to him before. She looked up a Koga again, and after a moment of watching him, he turned and his stunningly blue eyes met hers, and he gave her an even more dazzling smile. She blushed, and turned away, unable to even admit her feelings within her head yet. Koga waved a quick farewell to his pack brothers, and moved to sit on the log beside Kagome.

"Hey, Kagome, how are you enjoying the party?" He asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She smiled widely and blushed deeply, her skin tingling pleasantly under the wolf's touch. She toyed with the clay bowl of water in her hands and nodded.

"Yes, it's very festive." She told him, glancing up at him. His eyes were absolutely stunning, and she found that she loved staring into them. His smile widened as she looked into his eyes, and he leaned into her to rub his nose against hers. She giggled and pushed him playfully away. Koga sighed contentedly, and looked up at the sky. The moon was a thin crescent shape, and the sky was clear of clouds, allowing for a great view of the many thousands of stars that surrounded it. As he looked up at it, he realized he had not checked on his treasure in a few days and he should. It was his duty to protect it, after all, and as he thought of going to his cave to check up on it, he really liked the idea of taking Kagome with him. He somehow felt it was a good night to reveal his treasure to her.

"Hey, Kagome...I've got to check on something up in my cave, would you like to come with me?" He asked her. She glanced at him skeptically.

"In your cave?" She clarified. Koga chuckled.

"Yes, my cave. Don't worry, you'll be safe love." He told her grinning at her. She smirked back at him, giggling under her breath.

"Alright. Let's go." She said, standing. Koga grinned and got to his feet, taking her hand and leading her up the path towards his cave. The two each loved the way their hands felt within the others, and neither one felt the need to pull away.

They made their way into Koga's cave, and he lead her to the rock in the wall that hid the small wooden box. He pulled the rock out to see the box siting serenely in it's hiding place. He smiled and lifted the box from the wall, and facing Kagome.

"This is my family's most sacred treasure; it's said Tsukiyomi gifted it to my grandfather when he was younger than I am now, and charged us to keep it secret and guard it ferociously. Would you like to see it?" Koga told her, his eyes glittering with all the excitement of a pup with a new toy. Kagome blinked and wet her lips with a swift stroke of her tongue.

"Sure." She breathed. Koga beamed at her and grasped the top of the wooden box with one hand.

"It's called a Moon Stone...it's also said that this stone is the very heart of the moon." Koga told her in a hushed voice as he lifted the lid of the box to show her the sparkling jewel.

Kagome gasped at the sight of it. She had never seen anything so beautiful; even the Shikon Jewel in it's whole and glittering glory paled in comparison to the jewel Koga was trusting her to see.

"Oh, Koga...it's gorgeous!" She gasped, her hands lifting to her mouth. "I...I can't believe you's trust me enough to show it to me." She told him. He grinned at her and lifted a hand to brush a few strands of hair from her face.

"Of course I trust you, Kagome. I want to make you my mate; if you can't trust your mate, you can't trust anyone." He looked down at her, loving how bright her eyes were with the happiness he'd given her. "Oh, Kagome...I love you more than life itself. I love you more than this jewel in my hands. I love you more than anything I can possibly think of." He told her, his hand cupping her cheek gently.

Kagome's heart was racing again with the realization that she finally had a response to Koga's declaration of love, a response he'd like to hear instead of "that's nice". She swallowed hard, fighting and choking on the words that threatened to crawl up her throat. She wanted and didn't want to tell him all at once, and she marveled at how three little words could cause so much internal trauma.

"Kagome?" Koga asked softly. Kagome looked up at him, and she knew her time was running out; she had to say something, anything at all, but for some reason as much as she wanted to tell him how sweet he was and suggest they return to the party, she couldn't bring herself to say that. She had something else to say, as long as she could just get it out of her throat!

_Say it, say it, Kagome, say it damn it just tell him already!_

"Koga...I..."

"Yes?"

"I...I love you, Koga."


	16. Kagome in Love

_****Kagome in Love****_

Kikyo was walking through the moonlit forest, still thinking on the curse she had used on Kagome and avoiding Naraku when she felt a surge of power rush from her. She fell to her knees, trembling.

"What is happening?" She groaned aloud, struggling to get back to her feet. She gasped as she saw the stolen souls flying out of her imitation body and floating away, her soul catchers doing nothing to retrieve them. She knew she had bound her false life force to the spell, and she knew now that Kagome had figured out hat she had not. She had learned exactly how to break the spell.

Kikyo felt the last of her stolen souls leave her, a weakness seeping into her body, and as she watched, it was breaking down. Becoming mere clay and grave soil. With a final scream of agony and rage, Kikyo's body crumbled to the forest floor to be swept away with a well used gust of wind. The power keeping her clay body together had fallen away and became lost forever, along with the last remaining vestiges of Kikyo's own soul.

****Moon Heart****

Koga felt his heart stop dead in his chest, and vaguely felt the wooden box slip from suddenly limp fingers and hit the rock floor of the cave with a clatter, snapping shut around the jewel inside. He could only stare at her, and he nearly began to shake.

"D-did you really just say that?" He asked in hushed tones, hardly daring to believe his ears. Kagome was blushing furiously and shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously. She glanced up at him and nodded her head.

Koga saw her nod and his knees gave out, landing on them hard and he wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her belly. His joy was enough that it almost brought him to tears and he let himself tremble against her as he hugged her tightly.

"I've never been happier in my life than I am right now, Kagome." He whispered into her stomach. Kagome touched his hair and stroked his face, grinning. His joy was infectious, and she herself was also the happiest she'd ever been. She opened her heart to him and she knew he'd care for it and treat it kindly and never ever hurt her.

"Oh, your jewel..." Kagome said, but just as she thought of moving to pick up the box, she felt her own aura flare to life as it hadn't since she'd been cursed. She gasped, and Koga looked up at her. She was surrounded in a bright white light, but even as they watched, the light was growing more and more pink until they both knew Kagome's full power had been returned to her. She could sense the shards she and Koga held as easily as ever, and she felt even more complete now than she had a moment ago.

"Koga! The curse is broken! I have my powers back!" She cried, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. Koga climbed to his feet, beaming at her. She had told him she loved him, and she had meant it. There was no other way she could have broken the curse on her.

"That's wonderful, my love." He told her, his arms still around her. She threw her arms around his neck and let herself cry her happiness out into his shoulder. Koga held her close, watching her aura glow around her, and he let his own rise. He glowed an earthy green, and the demon and miko auras seemed to swirl together in harmony rather than fight each other off. After Kagome had let her emotions out she pulled back from him and wiped her eyes as she sniffled.

"Sorry about the crying..." She said softly.

"Those happy tears are the only kind you're allowed to cry." Koga replied smiling down at her. She giggled and they embraced each other tightly again.

Soon they parted, and Kagome knelt to pick up the wooden box and hand it to Koga. He took the box in one hand, then turned to replace the box in the hole in the cave wall. He faced her again as she yawned, and he wondered if he should ask her to stay in his cave with him that night.

"Kagome...you're, erm, welcome to, uh, stay here...you know, tonight...if you'd like..." He stumbled over his words, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Kagome giggled at him again and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'd better not tonight, Koga...but maybe soon." She added, blushing. Koga beamed again and wagged his tail.

"Shall I walk you to my cousin's cave?" He offered an arm to her, grinning.

"Alright." Kagome said and looped her arm through his. They strolled leisurely to Moyakari's cave, and when they arrived, Koga gave Kagome a tender kiss goodnight before they parted ways for the night and Koga floated back to his cave on cloud nine.

He flopped down onto his bedding with a sigh, and he wasn't there long before his pup raced into the cave, calling out for him.

"Alpha Koga, Papa, I saw you and Mama leave! What happened?" The bright eyed Shigoru asked, tackling his prone adopted father.

"Your Mama told me she loves me, little guy...and she meant it, because she got her powers back." Koga told Shigoru brightly, scooping the little wolf up in his arms as he got to his feet.

"Really, Papa? Will she be your mate?" Shigoru cried joyously. Koga spun them both in circles, causing Shigoru to go into fits of laughter.

"I think she will soon, Shigoru!" Koga replied happily, and Shigoru clapped his hands.

"I'm so excited, Papa! We should go sing!" Shigoru suggested, and Koga grinned at him.

"We should. Let's go!" He said, and set the small wolf boy onto his shoulders and left the cave, and began climbing the side of the mountain. He didn't climb as high as Ojiisan's cave, but a ledge or two beneath it and set Shigoru down beside him. He looked down at his young, wondering how developed his voice would be this early in his life.

"Ready?" Koga asked. Shigoru nodded.

"Yeah." He confirmed.

Koga straightened up while he took a deep breath, threw his head back and howled into the night. Shigoru joined him in his song of celebration, their wolfish music filling the forest and the sky. Below, the members of the tribe that were still awake added their voices to the song, and soon the whole mountain was sharing in Koga's elation.

Kagome, Shippo and Moyakari were settling down to sleep when the music started, and Moyakari smiled widely as she listened. So, Kagome loved Koga, and her power had been restored to her, hm? She glanced over at the human woman who sat against the cave wall, listening to the music that filled the cave and her soul. She couldn't understand it, but it filled her heart with happiness. She laid a hand over her chest, her eyes sparkling with the magic of the wolf-song.

"It's beautiful...I've never really listened to a wolf's howl before." Kagome whispered. Moyakari smiled and sat at her side.

"We wolves sing all the time for hundreds of reasons. Koga's singing out his joy and why he feels that way. We sing about our pain, our sorrow, our life, our love, when we're lonely, even pups know to sing out for their pack when they get lost." She said.

"I think I'll sleep soundly with such music playing for me." Kagome said, hugging Shippo close to her.

"I think I will too." Shippo added, smiling up at his human mother, his eyes twinkling with the knowledge of a secret. Being a fox, he could understand some of what Koga was singing about; enough to know that she and Koga finally _shared_ the love that was for so long merely one-way. Kagome bade her wolf demon friend goodnight and settled herself on her back with her boy at her side and drifted off to sleep, her love's beautiful song ringing in her ears.

****Moon Heart****

Kagome's dreams were filled with wolves and their music, and a certain blue-eyed wolf demon who grinned his fangs at her and held her in his arms and nothing but the coming of the morning disturbed them. She stretched her arms over her head, yawning as Shippo rubbed his eyes and sat up beside her. Moyakari was likewise waking slowly, the sunlight pouring into the mouth of her cave, but as she looked, a shadow was cast there.

"Oh, Kagooomeeee!" Koga called out cheerfully into the cave from where he and Shigoru stood. Moyakari and Shippo laughed as Kagome blushed lightly before getting to her feet. She walked to Koga smiling brightly, and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply.

"Good morning, Koga." She said once she freed her lips from his. Shigoru slipped by Koga and Kagome and ran inside to greet Shippo. Koga rubbed his nose against hers and she laughed and playfully pushed him away. He grinned at her and held out an arm for her to take.

"Good morning, Shippo!" Shigoru said brightly.

"You too, Shigoru." Shippo replied before he raced along the floor of the cave and bounded onto Koga's shoulder, his brother at his heels.

"You're in a good mood this morning, Papa." Shippo observed, pretending he had no idea why. He threw a roguish wink down at Shigoru who bit back laugher. The wolf pup hugged Kagome's leg, and she knelt to give him a proper hug.

"Good morning, Mama." Shigoru said. Kagome fought a grin.

"Good morning, Shigoru. Did you and your Papa sleep well?" She asked, standing and taking Koga's arm again. The pup nodded.

"We did, Mama; all our singing tired us out. Did you hear us?" He asked excitedly. Koga and Kagome began a lazy stroll down the mountain, arm in arm, their two young boys following after them.

"I did hear you, and it was very beautiful." Kagome said, giving Koga a knowing grin. Koga smirked at her.

"It was all for you. I was trying to tell the pack how happy you made me last night, although even all our voices won't ever really capture the depth of my feelings." He told her, thinking himself romantic and poetic. Kagome giggled again, taking it as such.

"Thank you...my love." She added shyly, a red blush painting her cheeks. Koga tilted his head to lay it against hers, growling deeply but softly.

"I'll never get tired of hearing you call me that." He told her confidently.

They made it down to the clearing where breakfast was served just as it had been every morning, but this morning, it seemed as though a dark and heavy weight had been lifted from the mountain. Kagome had fallen in love with Koga, their mating was surely imminent, and the only challenger to Koga's Alphaship had been wiped away for good. The wolf demons on the mountain couldn't think of a better start to a morning.

As they ate, Kagome felt her powers thrumming within her and could clearly remember the empty feeling of them being gone. She vowed to train her power harder, become stronger, and to never take her powers for granted again. She frowned, thinking about what she'd have to do to gain control of her newly restored power, and knew the only person who could help her was Kaede.

Breakfast finished swiftly, tasks were divided up among the pack, and Kagome had decided to have a word with Koga. As the pack began to part ways, Kagome looked down at Shigoru and Shippo.

"Go on, you two, the rest of the pack's pups are going to lessons today, so you should go too." She told them. They groaned and slumped off towards where the rest of the pups were headed. Kagome then touched Koga's arm as he chuckled at Kagome's motherly prowess.

"I'd like to ask you something." She told him. He smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her close.

"Anything, my love." He replied, and the two strolled off towards the river.

Shigoru glanced over his shoulder and watched his adoptive parents sneaking off on their own, and he grew curious. He nudged Shippo, who turned and saw what his new brother did. They stopped and looked at each other a moment before they shared the same mischievous grin. Making sure no one saw them change course, they crept quickly after Kagome and Koga.

The miko and the wolf demon walked down the hill to the river and sat down on its bank together.

"What is it, Kagome?" Koga asked. Kagome looked into his bright blue eyes and felt her entire body warm up at the sight. She wondered why she hadn't fallen in love with him any earlier, but she clearly loved him now. With that thought in mind, she decided it didn't matter that it had taken her so long.

"Well I wanted to ask if we could go to the village near the Bone Eater's well. The miko Kaede is the only one who can train me, and I want to train." Kagome said. Koga nodded at once.

"Absolutely, Kagome. We can go now if you'd like." He said brightly. Kagome grinned.

"I was hoping we could go today." She replied.

Shippo and Shigoru looked at each other. They were crouched at the top of the hill, listening to their parents talk about leaving the mountain..._without them_. They jumped to their feet and ran down the hill towards them.

"Hey, you can't leave us here!"

"We wanna go too!"

Koga and Kagome looked around to see that their young had heard everything, and wanted to be involved. The two adults laughed uproariously at the devious nature of the two boys.

"I think we can take them, love." Koga said, causing cheers to erupt from the boys. Kagome rolled her eyes and nodded in response.

Before long, Kagome was on Koga's back, and the boys were hanging tightly to Kagome's shoulders and to each other to keep from falling off. Koga raced through the forest at high speeds, hoping with all his might that he wouldn't be forced to kill Inuyasha. Kagome wouldn't forgive him if he did.

****Moon Heart****

Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku had landed Kirara in the village the night before, and sought shelter and aid from Kaede. By morning, they were well fed, well rested, and even Inuyasha's grave injuries had healed nicely. They had awoken late that morning, and what a surprise they awoke to. They weren't awake more than an hour before a cyclone of dirt and grass came spinning into sight. Sango and Miroku wondered what Koga was doing out here, but hoped he had Kagome with him. Inuyasha felt his heart begin to race; Kagome was with Koga, and he had no idea what he was going to do.

Koga came to a halt near them, and gave the two humans a nod as he helped Kagome and the boys down. Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kagome all greeted each other with enthusiasm, while Koga and Shigoru hung back, pointedly ignoring Inuyasha. Kagome soon introduced Shigoru to everyone, and managed a glance at Inuyasha. He looked to the ground at once, his ears flat against his head, and he shifted his weight nervously.

"Kagome, I..." He started softly, but another voice cut him off.

"Kagome, child, you're here." Kaede said happily, approaching them where they stood.

"Kaede-miko, I was hoping we could continue my training." Kagome said brightly, prancing over to her. Kaede smiled and nodded.

"Aye, child, and ye should inform me of what has happened to you since last we met." Kaede said, and turned to lead her back towards her hut.

"I think I'll stay with you, Kagome." Koga said wisely, moving to her side. The last thing he wanted was to have Inuyasha alone without Kagome to stop him from exacting revenge for her. Shigoru and Shippo occupied themselves playing with Kirara, and Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha remained where they were. Inuyasha heaved a heavy sigh...he was going to apologize, but Kaede had interrupted. Would he ever manage to earn her forgiveness?

Inside the hut, Koga and Kagome told the story of Kagome being cursed, what had happened between Kagome and Inuyasha, how Koga had rescued her, and at Kaede's behest, how the curse had been broken

"I'm not sure how it was broken...I just remember telling Koga that I...wel, that I loved him." Kagome said with a blush. Koga looked nervous, and decided he shouldn't decieve her anyore, but before he could speak, Kaede beat him to it.

"Koga, you say you looked for a way to break the curse; did you not find one?" She asked. Koga rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Well...Ojiisan did tell me the only way to break the curse when I asked him. But he told me I couldn't tell you, Kagome, and I'm sorry I kept it from you, but I had no choice!" Koga rushed to defend himself from Kagome's sudden flare of anger.

"Why did you have to keep it from me?" Sheasked, suddenly furious.

"Kagome child, calm yourself and listen. 'The moon's heart must beat for the cursed miko just as the miko's heart must beat for the moon'. That is the method to break this curse." Kaede explained. Kagome gaped at her.

"You knew all along...I should have come and asked you myself." She said, glaring at Koga.

"Aye, I knew the way to break the curse, but like Koga, I would not have told ye." She said.

"Why? I don't understand that line at all!" Kagome asked, genuinely confused.

"The moon's heart must beat for the cursed miko...it is said that the one who holds the sacred Moon Stone is called "the very heart of the moon", correct?" Kaede said.

"Which would mean...Koga's heart must beat for the cursed miko, me..." Kagome said thoughtfully.

"The next part, child, was why this was kept hidden from you. "The miko's heart must beat for the moon"." Kagome gasped.

"The way for me to break the curse...was to fall in love with Koga!" She cried, surprised. Kaede nodded.

"Had you known, you might have simply told Koga of 'your love' merely in order to break the curse, and if you had, it would not have worked." Kaede responded. Kagome frowned and thought to herself. It was true; she might have tried to lie to get her power back, had she known. She sighed softly, and looked up at Koga. He was handsome, utterly devoted to her, affectionate, kind, and everything she'd ever wanted in a man. She smiled at the thought of the love for him she'd developed. She decided she couldn't be mad at him for keeping that particular secret; it had lead to her truly coming to love him, something she would not change for the world.

Inuyasha, Mioku, and Sango watched the two young boys play with the fire cat, each having their own thoughts on their individual minds. Miroku was putting out the fire they had built to cook breakfast, when Inuyasha jumped to his feet, his Tetsusaiga drawn and pointed out into the trees. Kirara burst into flames and grew to her full size, snarling into the forest the Tetsusaiga had pointed out.

"What is it?" Sango said, grabbing her Hiraikotsu.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha snarled.

****Moon Heart****

**_To any of my fans that still swing by here, I am deeply sorry about the length of the wait on this chapter!_** _**Life hit me pretty hard, and this year has started off very sh*tty. But now I've settled back into a much more familiar place/life, and my mind's been able to leave Stressville and wander back to my works. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a much more timely fashion! I hope you enjoyed "Kagome in Love", and hopefully it was almost worth the wait. :)**_


	17. Last Act

"Naraku?" Shippo yelled out. He had been liking not hearing that hanyou's name, and wasn't quite prepared to face that danger again. Shigoru narrowed his eyes; he had heard of Naraku and his evil before.

Miroku and Sango got to their feet in a hurry, boarding the fire cat as Inuyasha raced into the forest. Koga, Kagome and Kaede emerged from the hut they were in upon hearing that Naraku was nearby.

"Shippo! Shigoru! You two stay here with Kaede-miko and don't follow us, do you understand?" Koga ordered of his two boys fiercely. While they didn't like the idea, one look at their mother's face told them they had no other choice in the matter. Koga glanced at Kagome, the worry evident in his face.

"I'd like it if you stayed behind too, but I know you well enough to know you won't." He told her with a wry smile. Kagome smiled at him.

"You're right. Especially now that I have my power back." She replied.

"Here child, ye shall need this." Kaede said, handing Kagome a bow and a full quiver of arrows. "I am sorry I could not teach you more about your power before now."

"It couldn't be helped." Kagome replied as Koga lowered himself to one knee again so Kagome could climb onto his back. She shouldered her weapon and took hold of Koga tightly as Koga took off after Kirara, following the trail of her and Inuyasha easily, leaving Shippo and Shigoru with Kaede.

Inuyasha burst through the tree line into a clearing to see Naraku barreling into the same clearing from the other side. The two hanyou snarled at each other, and continued charging the other to meet in the middle, Tetsusaiga's strike blocked by a barrier Naraku had thrown up at the last second. Naraku had become furious upon hearing of Kikyo's second death, and in his blind rage, had actually shown up himself to do battle with those who had caused her death.

Kirara landed, and Koga and Kagome crashed through the tree line shortly after Naraku and Inuyasha had begun throwing attacks at each other again. Koga howled into the sky as Kagome jumped from his back, notched an arrow and fired her first shot at Naraku. To her surprise, the pink glow that was usually around her sacred arrow was no longer just a glow. The arrow head was shining as brightly as a blinding star as it streaked towards the target. The red bladed Tetsusaiga slashed through Naraku's barrier just in time, and the arrow hit home, blowing several of Naraku's many writhing tentacles off.

Kagome was astonished at the amount of damage she had done to the hanyou. It seemed when the spell broke, she gained back the power she had access to as well as the still-dormant power she held inside her. Sango, Koga, Kirara and Miroku charged into battle alongside Inuyasha as Kagome hung back, picking the best times to fire off arrows. Alas, Naraku was holding his own against his many attackers, and of course had not come alone.

**MOON HEART**

Shippo and Shigoru sat side by side in Kaede-miko's hut as they had been told to. The miko had stepped out and into the village to warn them of Naraku's attack. Unfortunately, they had discovered the danger already. Over the trees, a black swarm of youkoi were encroaching upon the village, and while they were simple farmers, they were all prepared to defend their homes and families, under the leadership of Kaede of course. Kaede fired her own arrows at the demons as they approached and landed. A wild war broke out in the streets of the village as the youkoi and human forces clashed, and the noise had caused Shippo and Shigoru to stir from their spots.

They looked outside the hut and saw the chaos around them, and through the noise Shigoru could make out a howl in a voice he recognized to be his father's. He chewed his lip, his worry growing higher.

"Father is calling the pack for help." He told Shippo, who looked too pale for Sigoru's liking.

"They need all the help they can get." Shippo assured the older boy.

"So do the villagers; what are we going to do?" Shigoru fretted. "I hope the pack gets here soon."

**MOON HEART**

The day had begun as many of his days did; Rin had spent her morning teasing Jaken, who had squawked at her until it hurt his ears, causing him to glare at the imp to silence him. Ah-Un had been quiet and for the most part still until Sesshoumaru had ordered them all to move out. Jaken waddled just behind him as he walked through the trees, and behind the imp Ah-Un carried Rin after them.

They had been walking for most of the morning before a commotion caught Sesshoumaru's attention. He made his way towards the unmistakable sounds of battle the scent of his worthless brother and his pack of idiots that followed him around. He also could scent the Naraku bastard he had decided to eliminate. He saw them all through the trees in the heat of their battle. To his surprise, the Wolf Prince was there as well, but he had no other wolves with him. Had he joined with his brother's pack? As far as he remembered, they didn't get along. Sesshoumaru was unsure, nor did he much care.

He knew very well that if he didn't aid his brother, he would probably be killed. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes; it was HIS place to kill Inuyasha, and no one else's. It also happened to be HIS place to kill Naraku. He knew what he had to do.

"Jaken." He said.

"Yes, My Lord?" Jaken answered at once.

"Watch Rin." He said, and darted off towards Naraku's currently exposed back, his whips of light shooting out from his remaining fingertips. Naraku swung a tentacle at the dog demon, who saw it in time. He used the tentacle to jump away and land gracefully with the other fighters.

"Get outta here, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha yelled, which Sesshoumaru ignored. He'd take care of him later.

**MOON HEART**

Shippo and Shigoru paced and fretted in Kaede-miko's hut for what felt like days until they heard familiar sounds headed for them. Shigoru looked outside the hut again, and with a cheer, bolted from it. Shippo cried out and went after him.

The wolves of Koga's mountain, lead by Moyakari, Ginta and Hakkaku had arrived on the scene at last in response to Koga's cry for aid. Shigoru threw himself into his aunt's arms and began to babble.

"Mama, Papa and their friends went to fight Naraku and he sent his youkoi to destroy the village!" He cried out quickly. Moyakari narrowed her eyes and snarled.

"Half of you find the leader of this village and tell them you're here to help them fight off Naraku's demons! The rest of you come with me!" Moyakari yelled, pointing out where the divide was. Once it was clear, half of the wolf demons ran off, though running around the edge of the village. They themselves could easily be mistaken for the enemy by the villagers until they spoke with the one in charge.

Moyakari ran off towards the sounds and scents of the battle with Naraku, Shigoru following after her, and Shippo after him.

"We should stay here!" Shippo wailed.

"I can't sit here while Mama and Papa are out there fighting! I'm a wolf demon, a warrior!" Shigoru replied fiercely. Shippo followed after him, deciding not to say that Shiguro was still only a pup.

Moyakari led the reinforcements into the battle between Naraku and the others at top speeds and all the ferocity they had. Koga glanced up at his cousin as she led his wolves into the fight, and his heart dropped upon seeing his boys among them. He looked around at Kagome, who like the others, was worn out from battle and losing strength. She didn't seem to notice the arrival of their adopted pups. What no one else seemed to notice was that Rin, Ah-Un, and Jaken had also crept perhaps too close to the battleground, and Rin was no longer atop the two-headed dragon.

Sango and Kirara were flying around Naraku, dodging his strikes and whirling her great boomerang bone through the sky. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were attacking the hanyou, though they were getting in each others' way more than they were doing Naraku damage. The wolves did their best to attack and not be struck by the two arrogant half-brothers or Naraku's writhing limbs. Koga looked around the battlefield to see his boys still there, along with a girl he thought smelled familiar a few feet from the boys and moving closer. Horrified, he charged towards them; why were they even there?

"What are you two doing here?" He bellowed at them as he approached. Shigoru set his chin at the older wolf demon and stood as tall as the boy could stand.

"Papa I can't sit around while you and Mama are in danger! I'm a warrior!" He answered fiercely.

"The hell you are, you're a pup! None of you should be here!" He said, and with that, scooped the three children up in his arms and raced them off, away from the battle and over a small hill topped with shrubs. He set them down, and commanded them to hide and stay out of danger.

Meanwhile, Naraku let his eyes sweep over the battlefield, and to his delight, Koga was atop a nearby hill, his back turned, completely distracted. A dark grin consumed his face and a long twisting tentacle rose, shooting straight for the back of the unsuspecting wolf demon.

Koga turned on his heel, ready to return to the battle, but as he faced about, the only thing he could see was the slimy limb of Naraku. It pierced him straight through his chest before he even thought of moving away. Koga coughed blood as the children he had saved began to scream at the sight of him impaled.

Kagome had rolled to avoid being hit with Inuyasha, who had been thrown at her, and didn't see what Naraku had done at first. As she was getting back to her feet, she heard the black laughter of Naraku and the screaming of her surrogate sons. She looked around to see the most awful sight she might ever see.

"KOGA, NO!" She cried at the top of her lungs upon seeing Naraku pulling the tentacle from Koga's chest. She ran to him, tears falling from her eyes. She could see right through him, his blood was pouring down his body and dripping from his parted lips as he dropped to his knees. He fell back to the ground as Kagome made it to him, falling to her knees at his side and cupping his face in her hands.

"Koga! Koga get up, please, you can't die!" Kagome sobbed over his paling form. Koga coughed again and managed to lift a hand to her face, wiping a tear away.

"I love you Kagome, I love you and Shigoru and Shippo. Never forget that..." He gasped. Kagome choked on a sob again as Koga's hand grew limp and fell away from her cheek and back to the grass. Koga's once brilliantly blue eyes closed and he let out a soft sigh, his final breath. Kagome hardly noticed when Moyakari approached her and gasped at what she found. Her cousin, their Alpha, was dead by Naraku's hand. The other fighters had noticed what was going on, and had started towards the fallen Koga, or in Sesshoumaru's case, simply watched from here he was rather than moving closer. Kagome sobbed brokenly over his body; she had finally fallen for him, and he was gone. No, not just gone. Taken. By him.

Kagome felt a anger like she'd never known as she slowly rose, ready more than ever to destroy Naraku. She had dropped her bow beside her, and lifted it as she stood. She faced Naraku, still laughing at the misery he had caused. She walked very calmly down the hill towards him, drawing an arrow and notching it as she did. Behind her, those who had gathered followed her. Her anger was so severe that it was spilling from her and effecting her friends.

Kagome looked deep inside herself and found the miko power there, more power than she'd ever thought she could have. The anger and the bitterness of losing Koga seemed familiar to her, and upon searching herself closer, she realized that the bit of soul she had regained from Kikyo was also burning with what remained of her hate and bitterness. To her surprise, that little bit of soul knew more than Kikyo's emotions. It also carried the knowledge that Kagome didn't have, the key to the use of the power inside her. She was stunned at how simple it was to use her miko power.

_For once, thank you Kikyo. _Kagome thought, and pulled the bowstring back. Her concentration was unwavering as she took aim with her arrow, the tip already alight with a bright pink shine. She paused just long enough for Naraku to notice she was hesitating, and he began taunting her for it, as was his way. She didn't hear the words he said; her mind was focused on her task of raising a bright pink barrier around Naraku. It was swifter work than she had imagined it would be, but she was certain she had several aiding factors to thank for that. Inuyasha launched a Wind Scar attack at Naraku, as though to keep him distracted for Kagome, and the wicked hanyou managed to reverse the attack back at them as the pink sphere encircled him completely, trapping him there.

Around him, the barrier began to shrink, forcing him to resume a more human form in order to stop the holy power from touching him. The attack he had thrown raced towards them, and Inuyasha raised the Tetsusaiga as Seshoumaru lifted his Tokijin.

"That's just what I was hoping for! Backlash Wave!"

"Dragon Strike."

"This is the end of you, Naraku!" Kagome roared, and released her drawn arrow.

The Backlash Wave swallowed the attack approaching them, sending writhing blue twisters once again at Naraku, around which was wrapped Sesshoumaru's Dragon Strike attack, and guiding the youki was Kagome's much more powerful sacred arrow. Kagome dropped the front half of the barrier around Naraku at the last moment, keeping him in place, and the combined attacks hit home.

The explosion was barely contained as Kagome raised the rest of the barrier around it once she knew Naraku had been struck. The shock wave of it still knocked them all to the ground. They got to their feet shortly after they hit the ground, and looked across the clearing to see the pink dome still clouded with raging power, the noise inside muffled.

"Did we do it?" Sango breathed, and no one answered. They stared at the pink dome as the inside began to settle and clear. Inside, the once flat ground had become a smoldering crater, and in the center, glittering peacefully, were Naraku's piece of the Sacred Jewel. Naraku was nowhere to be seen.

All around her, the cheers erupted, but her joy at the evil creature's death was dampened by the fact that he had taken her Koga with him. She turned her back on the jewel that rested in the dirt and the fading barrier around it, barely noticing Miroku's exposed and whole right hand as he and Sango celebrated over it. She walked back to where Koga lay and knelt at his side once again, her tears falling freely down her face.

Shigoru, Shippo and Rin had finally moved from their hiding place, but only to stand beside Kagome as she cried all over again for him. The wolves of Koga's mountain were next to surround them, many of them shedding tears over Koga's death as well. Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Kirara then approached, their joy lightening as well at the sight of Kagome and the wolf demons in such pain.

Sesshoumaru watched the gathering, and Rin slipped out of the crowd and to his side. She looked p at him, and him down at her.

"He saved me." She told the dog demon, pointing at the crowd. "He saved all three of us, and he was killed for it." Rin grasped Sesshoumaru's only hand and pulled him closer. The wolves parted for him as he stepped up to the other side of Koga and looked down at the dead Wolf Prince. Sesshoumaru then glanced again at Rin, who stared back with begging eyes. Sesshoumaru's lips curled downward slightly in distaste, but he couldn't bring himself to walk away. He narrowed his eyes and grasped Tensaiga's handle. The girl's sob were hurting his ears, anyway.

The blade pulsed, and Sesshoumaru could see the creatures gathering the wolf demon's soul. He swiped at them, dispatching them with ease. Kagome watched, confused, as Sesshoumaru seemed to attack the air beside Koga's corpse, and Rin beamed up at him gratefully. The hole that had been punched through Koga began to fill, the skin and muscle reforming and pulling back together, ad once the wound had vanished, Koga gasped, is eyes snapping open and jerking up into a sitting position.

"W-what happened?" He muttered, rubbing his head, and Kagome threw her arms around his neck, still sobbing but this time with joy rather than pain. Sesshoumaru turned and started away, Rin following after him.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome called, and the demon stopped, but did not turn around. "Thank you." She told him.

"It was not done for you." He replied, and disappeared through the trees, Rin waving at them all before chasing after him, Jaken and Ah-Un after her.

"Papa! You're alive!" Shigoru cried, and hugged Koga tightly. Koga laughed and wrapped one arm around Kagome and Shigoru, and with the other hand he pulled Shippo close as well.

"Koga, we—we thought we lost you." Moyakari said, wiping her grinning face dry.

"I'm sorry to worry you all." He said and turned to Kagome, planting a kiss on her lips that she gladly reciprocated. Sango and Miroku smiled at the sight, still arm in arm themselves. Kagome then remembered the jewel fragments still in the crater. She got to her feet, pulling Koga up with her. He moved stiffly and groaned as he did, but some pain was a small price to pay for receiving his life back.

"Where's Naraku?" Koga asked. Kagome grinned at him.

"We did it. We killed him." She told him, and he sighed happily. It was finally over.

Kagome slipped down into the crater and collected the rest of the jewel that Naraku had left behind. As she climbed back to level ground, Sango was pulling her shards from her yellow backpack. Kagome accepted them, and held out a hand to Koga.

"I'll need those shards in your legs now." She told him , chuckling. He laughed and knelt to remove them.

"Is this all of it?" He asked, handing them to her.

"Let's see." She said, and closed her hands together, concentrating once again. Without her anger driving her concentration, it wasn't as steady, but a few deep calming breaths, and a bright pink light shined through her closed fingers for a moment, then faded. She opened her hands, and the complete Shikon no Tama sat glittering in her palm.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Moyakari, and Shigoru gathered around her to stare at it in awe; their journey was over at last, and Naraku was dead, finally paying for his crimes. The only sadness left was Sango's over poor Kohaku. If the jewel was complete, there was nothing keeping him alive.

"Kagome." A soft voice said from behind the circle of drained but joyous warriors. She turned to see Inuyasha standing alone, looking to the ground and shifting his weight from foot to foot. He looked up at her, and was surprised but glad when she didn't look away.

"I-I'm so sorry about-what I did." He started quietly. "I know it doesn't change anything." Kagome smiled and walked over to stand before him, her hand touching his chin to lift his face to hers again.

"I forgive you, Inuyasha. It was Naraku who made you do it." She told him.

"It doesn't matter, I should have fought it, I should have-" He spoke again, but Kagome laid her hand over his mouth.

"It's time for you to forgive yourself, Inuyasha. There was nothing you didn't do to stop it, but it happened, and it was because of him. Not you." She told him with a smile. Inuyasha stared at her, studying her face, her eyes, her smile, and he felt the guilt beginning to fade a bit. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to him.

"I don't deserve a friend like you." He whispered into her neck. Kagome hugged him in return, and after a moment, pulled back from him.

"That's not true, and I'll always be here to remind you of that. I'll always be your friend, Inuyasha." She said.

Koga watched them with mixed emotions. He didn't like Inuyasha at all, but Kagome was so happy now that they had made up. He was happy she had gotten through her trial, and sighed as he realized he'd never be rid of that mutt. But as long as she was his, he decided it didn't matter.

"Keep the jewel, Kagome. You accept me this way, even now, and that's all I'll ever need." Inuyasha said, a small smile on his face. Kagome beamed at him and then turned back to Koga. She took her place at his side and he slipped an arm around her as Inuyasha took a step closer to them. They glared at each other for a few long moments before Inuyasha spoke again.

"Don't ever hurt her, you bastard, or I'll kill you." He snarled. Koga opened his mouth to retort, but one look from Kagome made him rethink his words.

"She'll always be safe with me. Mutt face." He said shortly. Kagome rolled her eyes; this was probably as civil as they would ever get, and she was alright with that.

"Kagome, are you going to return home?" Miroku asked, his eyes darting in the direction many of them knew the well to be in.

Kagome frowned; would she go home? What if the well closed behind her and she couldn't come back? She didn't know what the well would do now, and as she looked at Koga again, she decided she didn't need to know. She wished she could say goodbye to her mother, grandfather and brother, but she would not risk losing Koga again.

"I'm going with Koga to the mountain. That's my home now." She told Miroku, smiling brightly up at Koga, who looked more thrilled than he had since she told him that she loved him. Shigoru cheered and jumped into Kagome's arms. She laughed and held him close while Shippo jumped to land on Koga's shoulder. Holding Shigoru in one arm, Kagome held out her free hand to Koga, who took it, grinning.

"Let's go." He said, and they made their way back towards the village. Kagome cast one last glance over her shoulder in the direction she knew the well to be, and bade it and the future farewell.

**MOON HEART**

The sun had set on the mountain as it thundered with celebration once again. The wolves had all returned home from the battle with Naraku and the battle in the village. Kagome's friends had stayed in the village to help them rebuild what had been destroyed, and Koga and Kagome had led the wolves back to the mountain, singing their wild song the whole way. Once they had returned, they celebrated their victory with sake, singing and bonfires as they had before. The moon was rising high and the stars twinkled overhead when Koga took Kagome's hand as lead her towards the caves, their two pups under the careful watch of Moyakari. Koga led Kagome to his cave, and stopped at the mouth to look down at her, her hands clasped in his.

"Kagome, you don't know how happy I am that you've chosen to stay here with me." He told her. She laughed.

"You don't know how happy I am that you're alive." She replied, standing on her toes to kiss him. He pulled her close and deepened the kiss, his hands wandering of their own accord. Their passion grew the longer they stayed locked in their kiss at the mouth of Koga's cave until Koga pulled away, gasping for breath.

"I love you, Kagome." He breathed.

"I love you too, Koga." She sighed softly. "I never want to lose you again." She said. He ran a hand through her hair.

"I couldn't live without you." He told her, his eyes betraying the truth of his words. Kagome grew nervous suddenly at the thought of actually binding herself to him, but they were in love, their great enemy dead, the jewel in their possession...what was stopping her? She sucked in a breath, gearing herself up to say what she was thinking, to actually go through with it.

"Then we shouldn't live apart any longer than we have to." She said before she los her nerve. Koga stilled.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" He asked her, raising any eyebrow and smirking at her at the same time. Kagome nodded.

"Yes. I want to be your mate." She told him, leaning into his chest and holding him close to her. Koga hugged her almost uncomfortably tight before taking her hand again and leading her into the cave.

"I'll show you how it's supposed to feel." He told her, his voice low and husky with lust. He laid her down on his straw and fur bedding, kissing her deeply and at first only touching her. Once she grew more at ease, he began to slip her furs off, his lips and fingers caressing every newly exposed bit of pale flesh. Bared before him, she was nervous again, but he soothed her fears with his touch and his kiss. He used her hands to remove his furs and she let him. He moved to lay over her once he was unclothed, but retrained himself until Kagome told him she was ready for him.

Their union was exquisite, and neither had ever felt such ecstasy before. They moved in unison, clutching at each other for dear life until Kagome's scream of pleasure rang throughout the cave, and Koga sank his teeth into Kagome's neck where it met the shoulder. Their power twisted and joined, bringing them both to climax in a rush of a kind they'd never known. Koga licked her mating mark gently as they lay together, catching their breath.

"Mate." Koga whispered, and Kagome giggled.

"Mate." She whispered back.

They lay in each other's embrace until Kagome fell asleep, and Koga propped himself up on one elbow to watch his new mate slumber peacefully in their cave. The moonlight shined into the cave opening , and Koga chuckled at the sight.

"I'm glad to be the moon's heart."


	18. Author's Note

I should have ended the last chapter with "The End", but I was in a hurry. I'm sorry about that. I'm also sorry about the wait on this chapter, but I've been caught up in the rat race, and had to put this on the back burner. I then got caught up in my personal project which I'm really trying hard to get finished this year. However, I didn't want to forget this completely, or worse, lose all motivation to finish it, especially with so little left of the story.

So I decreed that until I finished "Moon Heart", I would not write even a work of my book. Sadly, this last chapter is still a little rushed and has less dialogue, but I said what I wanted to say. I also would probably feel like this about the chapter even if it was a little more detailed, due to my personality. I like using detail too much to write short stories and be proud of them. I keep feeling the need to lengthen it, lol. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the final chapter of "Moon Heart", in fact, the whole story. :)

-R. Shadow


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